Prince of Persia: Gamer Within
by Sanne-chan
Summary: 16 year old Alex is cynical, sarcastic and convinced that her ‘warrior within’ couldn’t fight her way out of a wet paper bag. Videogames are her life, but if she’s not careful, they might turn out to be the death of her yet!
1. The gamer within

**Chapter 1: The gamer within**

Angrily, I stomped through the kitchen and poured myself a drink. I would not forgive him for this. I would NEVER forgive him for this.

"Alex, you know I had to cut the power this week to repair…"

"Dad, I can't save my game without a memory card! Couldn't you have waited one more day?"

"I have a job, and maybe if you had one, you could've bought that remember disk for your Playstation."

"Memory card, and I TRIED getting a job, but the competition is ruthless! I'm not the only one out there looking for some extra cash you know."

"You just need to use your talents, honey."

I sighed, throwing my hands up in exasperation. My father was a nice guy, but sometimes he just didn't get it.

"'Use my talents'? Thanks for the tip, I can already see it now: '16 year old schoolgirl seeks employment. Specializes in messing with the timeline, doing gravity defying wall runs and smashing random objects while making perverse grunting noises'. Oh yes, I'm sure they'll be lining up to hire me!"

My dad didn't get mad or anything. Instead he did something far worse: giving me one of those knowing smiles that said "you'll understand when you have children of your own". Yuck, pass! I'd seen baby photos of myself smearing god-knows-what all over the kitchen floor: like hell was I ever going to have kids. Rolling my eyes, I took my glass and prepared to head back upstairs to my room.

"Alex, wait a minute," my dad called when I placed my hand on the door handle. "Before I forget, something came for you in the mail today."

I looked at the padded envelope in his hands. Funny, I don't remember ordering anything and it wasn't even close to my birthday yet. I took it anyway and went back to my personal safe haven. Well… it would be a safe haven once I put a chair under the door handle. I had a lock, but dad would not let me have the keys.

Sigh.

I barricaded my door and flopped down on my bed. I turned my head sideways and glanced at the game that was lying on my desk. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. I got up and looked closer at the fierce looking figure on the front. It was no secret that I admired the Prince. I wasn't one of those squealing let-me-have-your-babies fangirls, but I did catch myself thinking more than once: what would HE do? Let's face it, I'm nowhere near as bad-ass. I'm not courageous, I'm not witty, I'm not smart and I absolutely suck at gym class. This guy can swing from flagpole to flagpole: I can't even climb the rope. Prince evades and decapitates 20 sand creatures without a sweat: I can't even last three minutes in a game of dodge ball. I might as well give up and accept the fact that my 'warrior within' couldn't fight her way out of a wet paper bag.

I sighed again and turned my attention to the envelope. It was probably junk mail. There was no send address on the back or any sign that it came from someone I knew. Still, I was curious and grabbed a letter opener.

"Let's see, which international lottery have I 'won' this time?" I muttered, but gasped when the contents of the envelop fell on my desk.

It was a memory card.

My heart skipped a beat. A memory card… A MEMORY CARD! Someone up there had pity on me! Carefully, I picked it up, I had never won anything in my life! I couldn't even remember entering a contest! I noticed that the memory card wasn't black: it was gold and I could've sworn it glowed for a moment. I still had no idea why someone would send me this, but then I recalled signing up for the forums on the official Playstation website: perhaps I had been selected for some kind of test team?

"This must be a beta model or something… a prototype for an improved version of the original memory card," I mused, looking inside the envelope for a letter or a note. There was none, but I shrugged it off. No reason to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Giddy with excitement. I plugged it in and hit the power switch of my PS2, waiting for the title screen to appear.

It did not.

"What the…"

My excitement slowly turned to worry when the screen remained black. No silver letters, no blood, no rock music, no nothing. Great, I knew it was too good to be true! My 'prize' had probably been infected by a virus or something and now some guy in his parents' basement was laughing his ass off at my stupidity.

"Dammit!" I cursed while reaching for the card. "I Just when I thought life couldn't get any worse, some nutcase thinks it's funny to wreck the only thing that keeps me sane in this…."

"_You cannot escape your fate."_

I froze halfway and blinked, my arm still extended towards my playstation.

"Who said that?"

The voice had been that of the Old Man from the game. I looked at my TV, but the screen was still black. What was going on?!

"_Your journey will be __long and there will be many difficulties on your path."_

I whirled around, but the voice seemed to be coming from every where and I felt panic rising in my throat.

"_Embracing your fear will set you free."_

"I don't know who you are, you crazy stalker, but get the hell out of my room!"

"_and__…"_

"I'm warning you!"

"_You will die."_

I felt my heart skip several beats. Oh god. Whoever this was… he was going to kill me! I urged my legs to move and made a mad dash for my door, but a golden glow suddenly came from my TV and filled my room. I couldn't move, I couldn't see, I couldn't even breathe. I only felt myself falling, and falling and falling…

* * *

"AAAAAAAHHH-OOF!!!" 

With a loud thud, I landed flat on my back. Slowly I got up and groggily opened my eyes. Where was I? What happened? I looked around and almost fainted.

"Sweet Batman, I'm in a portal room!!!"

There was no doubt about it: a luscious red carpet stretched from the ever flowing waterfall at the entrance to the platform. Golden grains of sand spilled from openings in the walls to come together and form a whirlwind of magic. At that moment, I wasn't even mildly disturbed I had just been thrown into a _videogame_. For minutes, I just stood there, bathing in the mystical golden glow that had also filled my room and looking in awe: this was better than any famous painting, any musical composition. This… this was _art_.

Moved by the sheer beauty, I raised a hand to wipe a tear from my eye, and shrieked in horror.

"My hand! Oh god… what…"

Words could not described what I felt when I saw the color of my skin. In stead of a normal pink, it was now a sickly brownish grey.

I was a sand creature…

Trembling, I inspected the rest of my body… or what was left of it. My nails were yellow and chapped and my arms were bare. What had happened to my sweater? What had happened to my PANTS?! Looking at my legs, I discovered that my jeans had been replaced by something that resembled a loincloth. A piece of string around my waist held up two pieces of red fabric that reached past my knees, barely covering my naughty bits. My chest was also scarcely clad in a sleeveless top that would even make a Victoria's Secret model blush. My hair was black, I had tattoos on my arms and ankles, and my stomach glowed, making me look like a walking flashlight. The horrible truth dawned on me:

I was a harem girl.

"Oh great, not only am I a sand creature, I also score a nine out of ten on the slut-o-meter! I could've been one of those cool blade dancers, or maybe even a pirate, but nóóóóó! Of course I have to turn into a…" I paused for a minute to think. "Hey, wait a minute… I'm next to a portal so this is obviously Warrior Within, but aren't harem girls from the Sands of Time?"

I had little time to wonder before the sound of rapid footsteps startled me.

"YOU BITCH!!!"

Oh yeah, **definitely** Warrior Within.

I yelped when I suddenly saw a very, VERY pissed off Shahdee rushing through the waterfall.

"Out of my way!" she barked before shoving me aside and jumping on the platform. I wanted to make a snide comment about not getting her metal thong in a twist, but the swirling sands lifted her up and transported the woman to the past. Only seconds after, the Prince followed suit. I was propped up against a wall, too dazed to make a sound. In what could not have been longer than ten minutes, I had been transformed into a sand creature from the first game, then got flung into the SECOND game and now two of my favourite characters had just appeared on the scene: my poor brain was still trying to catch up.

"What kind of magic is this?" the Prince asked out loud before finally stepping onto the platform himself, not even noticing me once. I couldn't help but slightly frown at his action, even though I knew he would be alright. "A woman just hovered in the air and disappeared in a cloud of magic sands! Ooh, goody, let's see what they will do to me!"

I hesitated for a moment: it was quiet in here… too quiet. The silence starting to get on my nerves. Also, I needed to find a way out of here, back to the real world. I had no idea how I was going to accomplish that, but my best guess was finding the Empress. After all, if she was powerful enough to create the sands of time, maybe she was also powerful enough to send me home. I had no idea what she looked like, though. The farthest I had ever made it without saving was halfway through the Garden Tower.

I looked at the portal and made my decision. I had no idea how I got here, but staying here was not going to get me anywhere, and it's not like I had anything to loose. I prepared to step onto the platform, but quickly discovered that the up flowing winds did very little to help me keep my modesty. I would travel through time and find a way home...

… but not before I got myself some decent clothes!


	2. Kakolukia!

**A/N:** Thank you all for the reviews! I felt motivated enough to write the second chapter ahead of schedule. I'm on a roll ;)

ToZanaril (I can't reply to anonymous reviews, so I'll do it here if you don't mind): don't worry, I'll throw myself into a spike pit before I turn Alex into a Mary Sue. It wouldn't be any fun to have a perfect warrior woman (with big bewbs, a seeeeecret destiny and OMGWTFBBQ awesome powers!) bursting onto the scene where she effortlessly kills fifty sand creatures and makes mad animalistic love to the Prince. The Dahaka is the embodiment of fate, Alex is the embodiment of Murphy's Law and more of a hindrance than a help to our poor Persian hero. As for originality, well… I have quite a few idea's. Just wait and see ;)

* * *

**Chapter 2:**** Kakolukia!**

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

I kept grumbling under my breath as I tried to keep my Indian sari in place. Or at least, I liked to pretend it was an Indian sari. It didn't take a microscope to see that it was just a piece of curtain I ripped off the walls and wrapped around my body like a towel before going through the time portal. The fabric was slippery and absolutely refused to stay put, so I had to hold it up with my hands: improvising had never really been one of my strong points.

"I can't believe I'm trapped in this… OWW!!!"

I stepped on the curtain and fell face forward on the floor. Muttering obscenities, I got back on my feet and continued my trek. I decided that, if I wanted to find the empress, it would be best to follow the same path as Prince. That meant my first stop was the Sacrificial Altar where hopefully he had killed Shahdee and saved the girl in red. I liked Shahdee, but that didn't mean I wanted to face her in a boss battle! Then again… I couldn't help but secretly hope the red girl had fallen to her death, because even though I had only made it halfway through the Garden Tower, I had a feeling where things were going. Prince would get in trouble, girl in red would save him, evil Empress of doom would kidnap the girl, Prince would kick Empress butt and both of them lived happily ever after. So far I loved the game, but that girl had written 'new love interest' all over her skimpy outfit. As the proud founder of several Prince/Farah fansites, I felt like throwing a brick through the window of Ubisoft headquarters when I heard that she didn't have a role in Warrior Within. I had heard rumors that she would be back in the third game, though… maybe I would still get to see them toge-

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

I froze when I heard a gruff voice behind me. I turned around and came face to face with three Raiders. Uh oh, I had secretly hoped that by following Prince's footsteps, I wouldn't have to face any sand creatures. Not live ones at least… Come on Alex, think!

"Uh… ah… you see….ehm…"

Oh, brilliant. That'll get them off your back for sure.

"Aren't you Blade Dancers supposed to patrol the Garden Tower?"

"Well y-yes," I stuttered while trying to keep a straight face, "but t-this curtain… it…eh… needs repairs!"

Sand creatures are a lot like teachers: you only think of the perfect excuse AFTER they send you to detention. Or in this case: decapitated you. One of the Raiders narrowed his eyes at me while slowly drawing his dagger.

"You're not one of us…"

I took a step back, frantically trying to think of a way to escape.

"Look, I-I can explain! If you just…"

I never got the chance to finish my sentence. I felt a gust of wind and suddenly the front Raider lay in front of me, dissolving in a cloud of sand. I just blinked and took another step backward, when I saw a red blur going after the other two.

"Do not let him get away!" one of the Raiders yelled, furiously lashing out at the attacker. A cry of anguish followed and only one Raider was left. The red blur paused for a moment and my heart leaped when I saw that it was no one other than the Prince!

Who was killing the sand creatures.

Sand creatures like me.

Oh, shit.

I suppressed a yelp and ducked behind a pillar, just before a third scream echoed through the hall. I heard the familiar whoosh of the leftover sands flying to his amulet and the sound of a weapon being picked up from the floor. Maybe if I stayed really still…

"I am the prince of Persia, king of blades!"

Okay, that didn't work. I went bug-eyed as I saw him rushing at me, moving in for the kill. I barely managed to dodge his sword, but he grabbed the pillar and did a roundhouse kick. I got hit in the head, and for a second I saw everything double. I lost my balance and fell flat on my butt, feeling his secondary weapon grazing my ear as he threw it at me.

"Hey, wait a minute!" I yelled, but Prince didn't listen. Instead, he growled and made a mad dash at my fallen form. Acting more on instinct than anything else, I rolled away and jumped up, stumbling backwards as he tried to kick me again.

"Ack! Stay away from me you psycho!" I shrieked as he managed to grab my curtain. I made no attempt to get it back: I'd rather be half-naked than dead. I turned around and made a run for it, but the Prince followed in hot pursuit.

"You will be honored to die by my sword!" he roared while I desperately tried to stay out of his reach.

"Like hell I will!" I shouted from the top of a pillar. I had no idea how I managed to get up there, but there's nothing like a nice panic attack to bring out your inner circus artist. Unfortunately, the second I realized what I had done, I let out a startled yelp and fell down right on top of a very peeved Persian Prince.

He roughly pushed me off of him and jumped to his feet. I tried to scramble away, but he grabbed my shoulder and trapped me in a headlock.

'Triangle plus circle,' I panicked, my life flashing before my eyes. 'He's going to strangle me!'

He tightened his hold and began to apply pressure to my throat. I tried prying his arm off of me, but Prince wouldn't budge. My vision started swimming as my oxygen deprived lungs cried out for air. I had no idea what came over me, but gathered what little strength I had left and screamed:

"KAKOLUKIA!!!"


	3. Run! Run! RUN!

**A/N:** Three updates in three days. That's a personal record for sure! I'm just having lots of fun with this story and new plot twists keep popping up in my head. Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review! I love reading those, they keep me motivated :)

* * *

**Chapter 3: ****Run! Run! RUN!**

Kakolukia: the minute I had spoken that word, Prince let go. I stumbled away, coughing and gasping for air.

"How do you know that word?!" he exclaimed, glaring murderously at me. I was still attempting to catch my breath while trying to think what on Earth I as going to say. Should I try to tell him the truth? 'You see, Prince: where I come from, you are just a game character. A helpless puppet trapped in a virtual world, at the mercy of yours truly. Remember that time you ran straight into a wall, tripped over a ledge and then fell right into that spike pit? Yeah, that was me accidentally holding the controller upside down, sorry about that, ehehehe… No hard feelings, right?'

"Well, It's sand creature slang for… PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" I yelped, nervously eyeing his sword: I didn't even have a pair of nail clippers to defend myself with.

The Prince looked at me suspiciously and cocked an eyebrow. Oh, he was SO not buying it.

"You are going to tell me how you learned that word," he started in a dangerous tone, "or else I will promise you that …"

A loud explosion suddenly send us skidding several meters away. Both of us scrambled back on our feet and looked around wildly. Especially me: I did not remember this part of the palace being rigged with bombs! I glanced at the Prince, who stared at me in horror, his face white as a sheet. No wait, he was staring at something _behind_ me. I now also noticed that the environment was slowly being drained of color.

Uh oh.

"The Dahaka!" Prince breathed with wide eyes as he attempted to grab my wrist and run for our lives. I, however, was already WAY ahead of him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

I flailed my arms and screamed bloody murder as I bolted through the palace like a mad woman. What was going on!? How did that thing get here?! There wasn't supposed to be a Dahaka chase this early in the game!

"Oh god, oh god, oh god! I'm so incredibly screwed!" I panicked, not daring to look over my shoulder. That monster already freaked me out enough on screen, so seeing it in 'real life' was probably not such a good idea.

I heard another pair of footsteps next to me and saw that Prince had caught up.

"I asked you a question!" he panted. "Answer me now!!!"

If my eyes had bulged out of my head any further, they would've fallen on the floor.

"WHAT?!"

"How did you know that…"

"I KNOW what you meant!" I snapped while jumping over a couple of vases. The Dahaka was closing in on us and I suddenly saw a black tentacle whizzing in front of me. Apparently, sand creatures did not have bladders, or I would've surely wet myself. "But can't we discuss this later? Like, when we're NOT in mortal danger?!"

I rounded a corner and nearly plowed into a wall. Looking up, I saw a narrow ledge and a Prince who had never heard of 'ladies first'.

"Come on! Move it!" he urged impatiently, as if I was oblivious to the fact I that was about to end as a Dahaka snack.

I jumped and grabbed the ledge. Using every bit of strength I could muster, I attempted to pull myself up. Did I mention my level of strength gives a whole new meaning to the word pathetic? Gritting my teeth, I managed to hoist myself up to chin-level before I my muscles gave out and I dropped back rather ungracefully on the floor. Panting and wheezing, I mentally kicked myself for slacking off in gym class during 'useless' exercise.

"I can't do it!" I squeaked in a strange, high pitch voice. I could hear the Dahaka coming closer and closer and I was seriously about to lose it.

"Use your feet!"

My what? Oh wait, I got the idea. I jumped and grabbed the ledge again, but this time, I tried to ease the strain on my arms by putting my bare feet on the roughly textured wall and pushing myself up. Wincing at the burning sensation in my heels, I swung one leg up the ledge and then quickly the other. Where anyone normally would've fallen backwards, I now was able to stand up and cling to the wall: the laws of physics worked quite different here than in the real world, but I sure wasn't complaining.

"Don't stop! Keep climbing!"

'Keep climbing'?! I looked up and to my horror, there were three more ledges. Oh, hell… Ignoring my sore feet and aching muscles, I tried to pull myself up again, but the walls turned sepia and a black tendril snaked around my waist, yanking me away.

"Etaf ruoy egnahc tonnac uoy!"

Prince shouted something, but I was paralyzed with fear, unable to understand a word. I felt cold… so very cold… Suddenly, survival instincts kicked in and I started trashing wildly, desperately trying to escape. My former attacker was feverishly looking for a way to stop me from being pulled into the black abyss and taking my story to my grave: he couldn't jump and cut the tendril with his sword: he would either succeed and fall to his death or get caught by the Dahaka, and he no longer had a secondary weapon to throw either.

"Use the medallion!" I shrieked when the guardian of the timeline started cackling madly at my several failed attempts to bite him. "Rewind! Rewind! REWIND!!!"

When I saw panic appearing in his eyes, I came to a horrible conclusion: without me knowing it, he had apparently used whatever sands he had gained from the Raiders, during the chase.

In other words: I was Dahaka meat.

A strange calm came over me when I realized I was going to die. It felt like… like everything was suddenly going in slow motion. It was a strange, almost… surrealistic experience. I heard a howl of agony but it all sounded far away. I felt safe…warm…like I was floating in some kind of hazy dreamlike state. I saw feathers… a flash of purple…

And then…

Everything went black.


	4. Someone to watch over me

**A/N:** Thank you all for the positive reviews, I'm glad people like the story! A quick note: the story might differ from the game a bit, since I can't exactly recall every level. Things might seem a bit different, and Alex might know just _slightly_ more about the characters (like Shahdee's name) that she is supposed to without finishing all three games. Just think she visited fansites or something. Think of it as artistic license.

* * *

**Chapter 4: ****Someone to watch over me**

I groggily opened my eyes. Where was I... what happened?! Memories flooded back and I remembered the fight with Prince… getting caught by the Dahaka… feathers…

'Someone... something saved me!'

I got up and looked around. I recognized some parts, but not all. It looked like I had been dropped off near the Sacrificial Altar, but there were stairs leading to the entrance and there not one, not two, but FIVE save fountains. I also noticed a chandelier instead of wall candles now lit the way.

"This makes no sense..."

"What makes no sense?"

I jumped when I heard Prince behind me. He was lying on the floor and slowly got to his feet. With messy hair and bleary eyes, he looked like a rock star suffering from the hangover from hell.

"Nothing," I quickly said. No need to make myself any more suspicious than I already was. I decided to change the subject to more pressing matters.

"Hey, what happened?"

"I don't know..." he groaned. "I remember the Dahaka and something hitting me on the back of my head, and then... I blacked out or something"

He suddenly stayed silent and glared at me.

"Alright! Alright! I'll tell!" I threw my hands op in exasperation. _Jeez_, the guy was persistent!

"Before I begin... my story might seem a bit... out there... You probably won't even believe me, so..."

"Try me."

I sighed. Looks like I wasn't going to get out of this one.

"Imagine... that besides different times, there are also different worlds... and like time travel it is also possible to travel to these other worlds"

The Prince nodded, looking at me with fascination. Now things would get tricky: how do you explain videogames to someone who has never even heard of electricity? Well, I had to give it a try.

"Prince, have you ever been to a play?"

"What does that have to do with..."

"I'm getting to that in a minute, just work with me here."

Prince rolled his eyes, but nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, I've seen plenty of plays back in Babylon. Glorious tales of brave warriors fighting against legendary monsters in epic battle!"

I sweatdropped when I saw a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Like he wasn't getting enough action already!

"Well, let's say you could control one of the players, make run where you want, jump when you want and fight how you want. And now imagine that this player was a fictional character displayed on some kind of... moving canvas"

"I'm... not quite sure I understand."

"_Try_, sandboy," I snapped impatiently. "And stop interrupting me every ten seconds!"

He scowled at me, but stayed quiet.

"Now: this interactive canvas is called a 'television' and the controllable play is called a 'videogame'. Videogames are immensely popular in my world for entertainment. However, what we didn't know was that with one particular videogame, instead of a story with fictional characters, we were offered a glimpse inside another world"

A spark of understanding. Prince's eyes widened.

"Yes, I'm talking about your realm. But, something went wrong: after an accident I have yet to understand myself, I found myself transported to your world in the body of a sand creature. At home, I'm just a normal human girl."

'who couldn't do a horizontal wallrun if the fate of Earth's largest chocolate factory depended on it,' I added mentally.

"There is more, though: your adventures are split up in three games. Part one is called 'The Sands of Time'. I finished that one and it ended with you slaying the Vizier and telling Farah your name was 'Kakolukia'. The second game is called 'Warrior Within' and it follows you on your journey to the Island of Time. I only got it about a week ago and I haven't made it further than halfway through the Garden Tower. The third game is called 'The Two Thrones', but I haven't started on that one yet."

Prince closed his eyes for a moment, trying to absorb all the information. He looked like he had difficulties wrapping his mind around the shocking story. I couldn't say I blamed him.

"Wait a minute... you said there is a third 'game'... does that mean I will find a way to keep the sands from being created?"

I shifted a bit uneasily.

"Well... I'm not sure... Usually in videogames the good guys win, but the 'Prince of Persia' series tend to have surprise endings... It could be that you die and the third game is just a story about your childhood or something."

I could see his face darken when I mentioned the 'Prince of Persia' series.

"Look, I had no idea it was real!" I said hastily. "I'm not some kind of twisted sadistically omnipotent goddess! For all I know, MY world is a videogame to someone!"

Prince relaxed a bit, apparently satisfied with my apology.

"The Garden Tower..." he suddenly started. "What were you talking about?"

"After you beat Shahdee.."

"?"

"The bitch in black."

"Ah..."

"And saved the girl in red, you'll have to activate two towers, namely the Garden Tower and the Clock Tower. I've only made it halfway through the first one. My guess is that if I progress far enough to open the door to the throne room, the Empress might be able to send me back to my world."

"How do I know this isn't some kind of elaborate lie?" he asked me warily.

"You hate pomegranates, don't like close spaces, did unmentionable things to Farah in some kind of erotic health spa dream..."

His eyes bulged out of his head.

"Okay, that'll do!" he cut me off, his face beet red.

"Anyway, I think..."

"_HELP!"_

We looked to the door. Someone had called! Prince burst into the room, me following close behind: curiosity killed the sand creature.

We saw Shahdee fighting the girl in red. With a startled yelp, she fell from the altar, clinging to the edge for dear life.

"Help me!" she called again, panic in her eyes. I sighed, silently apologizing to Farah: even if I hated that girl for being The New Love Interest, I wasn't THAT heartless.

"Hold on!" I yelled while running over the platform.

"LOOK OUT!"

I whirled around, just in time to dodge a pair of razor sharp blades. Oh that's right, Shahdee was about to kill her. Oops...

"What do you think you're doing?!" she growled, taking a step in my direction.

"Eh, nothing!" I smiled sheepishly. "Don't mind me, I'm just passing by..."

Shahdee apparently thought otherwise, because before I knew it, I had a nasty gash on my arm. Blood, mixed with a few grains of sand leaked from the wound. My eyed widened. Oh no, she didn't!

"YOU BITCH!" I cried, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You are SO no longer my favorite character!"

Bad move.

I yelped when she came charging at me, fuming and snarling like a wildcat.

"Create a diversion!" Prince shouted from the other side of the room. "Fight her while I save the girl!"

This time, MY eyes bulged out of my head.

"FORGET IT!" I shrieked while running in circles, trying to stay ahead of a raging Shahdee. "**I** save the girl, **YOU** fight the crazy lady!"

"Come back here, you little brat!" she roared while trying to slash me with her blades. I managed to stop just in time before almost falling over the edge of the platform. Prince tried to rush to my aid, but was send flying by a powerful kick. I turned around, where I saw Shahdee approaching me with a murderous glint in her eyes.

"Can't we talk about this?!" I panicked while the female incarnation of Freddy Krueger continued to stalk closer, sharpening her blades. "Your armor looks like it has seen better days, and my dad owns a hardware store! If you let me live, I'll get you a nice discount!"

Shahdee grinned evilly and raised her weapons, when her face suddenly contorted in pain. She coughed up blood and collapsed on her knees, falling face down on the floor. Embedded in the base of her neck was a small dagger. I furrowed my brow and quickly turned away. Eww, nasty...

I looked at prince, who in turn was looking up. I followed his gaze and caught a glimpse of a figure gracefully leaping from a pillar and disappearing into the shadows. Great, things were just getting weirder and weirder...

"You alright?" Prince asked.

"Yeah, I'm..." I fell down animestyle when I saw he was talking to the girl in red. Oh, when I got home, I was going to let him walk straight into a spike pit.

"I'm fine," Red snapped rather harshly. "You should not have come here."

"Wait, I seek an audience with the Empress!"

"Hey,_excuse_ me!" I protested, walking up to the bickering duo. "_WE_ seek an audience with the Empress! You're not the only one who has business with her!"

At this, Red gave me a very odd look. She raised an eyebrow.

"...what?" I asked, beginning to feel a bit uneasy.

She continued to stare at me, seriously creeping me out.

"You don't know... what the Empress looks like?"

Suddenly I understood.

"I know I look like a sand creature, and okay, I guess technically I AM a sand creature, but I'm not one of her psycho minions and I just want to go home and I think the only way is to help Prince complete his mission... or something," I trailed off when I realized I was rambling like an idiot. Red gave me one last funny look, but then hesitantly left me alone. I felt a shiver running down my spine: I couldn't quite place it, but there was something strange about that woman. I didn't trust her one bit.

"The Empress has no love for the world of men!" she barked. "She will kill you if she finds out you are on the Island!"

"Well, I suggest she takes a number," I muttered grimly, rubbing my arm. The wound had already healed, but it still felt a bit sore.

"Fool... Don't you know?"

We all turned to Shahdee, who apparently wasn't quite dead yet. The woman glared at us and coughed up more blood. How could she still talk with a dagger in her neck?!

"...You cannot... change your fate..." she spoke with her dying breath, before collapsing and exploding in a cloud of sand.

"LOOK OUT!"

The explosion caused the room to fall apart. Prince grabbed me and Red and flung us away just before a particularly large piece of debris came crashing down. Just like in the game, there was now a wide gap between us and Prince.

"Stay there!" he shouted at us. "I'll find my way to you!"

"No Prince, you must leave this place and never come back!"

With one last glare, Red ran away. I knew she was going to the throne room, but I didn't feel very eager to follow her. No way I wanted be alone with that creepy girl, even if she did help Prince later in the game.

"Hey Prince!" I called. "I know this may sound odd, standing on the other side of a huge ravine and all, but mind if I tag along?"

The king of corny battle cries cocked an eyebrow.

"Why would I take you with me? You'll only slow me down!"

"Well... female sand creatures are kind of skinny, I could crawl through cracks or fit under doors!"

"Hmm..."

"Eh...I...I could stand on floor switches! And eh... levers! I'm sure I could pull a few of those, no pun intended."

"I don't know..."

"And I could be a lookout!" I continued to try and sway him. For some reason I was suddenly terrified of being left on my own. "You know… peek around corners to check for sand creatures? As long as they don't see my horrendous outfit, I could easily pass as a Blade Dancer!"

I saw him considering my offer. After what seemed like an eternity, he nodded and ripped a curtain from the wall. He tied a rock to one end and threw it to my side of the ravine, where I eagerly grabbed hold and swung back to him.

"Alright," he sighed while pulling me up, "I guess I could use some company in this dreadful place."

"Yes! Exactly!"

"And you could run ahead to distract enemies…"

"Well, I'm not sure if-"

"Or stay behind to slow the Dahaka…"

"Wait a minu-!"

"And if I ever happen to run out of sand…"

Prince looked at me for a response, but he would have to do without:

I had fainted.


	5. But I can’t do that!

**A/N: **I sent a few review replies, but I doubt you've gotten them. The site has been acting up and I haven't been getting any alerts I my in-box at ALL. Not even reviews: I have to check and read those manually through stats. Sigh… I just hope you know I appreciate all reviews and you don't think I'm an ass for not replying. Oh well, enjoy the story!

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**Chapter 5: ****But I can't do that!**

"Nu-uh!" I yelped, frantically shaking my head.

Prince sighed, exasperated. He had discovered a way off the Sacrificial Altar, but not all of us agreed to the suggested route.

"It's only a small climb onto that rock formation and then all you have to do is jump to that pillar!"

I looked up and nearly died. Not only did I have the acrobatic prowess of a granola bar, but 'Warrior Within' is not the best game to get trapped in if you're afraid of heights.

"Isn't there a crack I can go through?"

He rolled his eyes at my whimpering.

"If you plan on making it through the palace and facing the Empress, you're going to have to learn some basic skills sometime!"

"But I already explained for like a million times that some of the things you do are just… well, impossible!" I squeaked nervously. "The laws of physics are different! Where I come from, NO ONE can jump between walls or slide down a curtain with his or her sword!"

Prince groaned and put his head in his hand, muttering something along the lines of 'what was I thinking'. I knew he wouldn't go back on his word, being royal and a man of honor and all, but he was starting to look quite tempted to kill himself.

"Look," he tried again, "you managed to stand on that narrow ledge and I saw you climbing a pillar back with those Raiders!"

"That one doesn't count, I don't even remember how I got up there!"

"Still, it proves that the laws of physics of your world no longer apply to you! You already HAVE my abilities, you just need learn how to use them!"

"Oh, so you think my complete and utter suckyness is just a _mental_ thing?" My face wrinkled up: I bet he was just itching to sing a cheesy musical song about inner strength and believing in yourself. Well, I've got news for you, Princahontas: the colors of the wind aren't going to help me when I miss that pillar and smash to sand creature jelly against those rocks!

"Well, It wouldn't do any harm if you had a little more self confidence," he said in an extremely annoying fatherly tone.

"Forget it!" I huffed with my arms crossed. "I'm not getting up there, you hear me? Not a snowball's chance in hell! There is absolutely NO way you can possibly convince me to…"

_30 seconds later__…_

"Prince, if the Dahaka finds us, remind me to ask him to kill you first!"

I mover closer to the edge of the rock formation and looked at the pillar, that seemed to be moving further away with every passing second. Oh, this definitely deserved several nominations for Worst Idea Ever.

"Come on," Prince encouraged me from the second pillar. "Just jump, I'll rewind time when you fall!"

"Don't you mean _if_ I fall?"

"Not really."

I glared at him. I just knew he was enjoying this…

"Well, here goes nothing," I mumbled, closing my eyes shut and leaping towards the pillar. To my surprise, I felt my arms almost automatically grab hold of it. A little more confident now, I turned around and made a jump for the second pillar. Halfway through I thought I was going to just miss it, but suddenly I felt myself being pulled in the right direction.

"See? It's not so hard once you get the hang of it!"

I made my way down and pushed off, landing next to Prince on some kind of balcony. I had to admit: that was actually rather fun. Climbing ledges wasn't my thing, but apparently I did have an undiscovered talent for pillar jumping.

Whoopee.

I followed him through a thin curtain, into a hallway. Again, I was confused: the curtain was a bluish purple while I clearly remembered it to be red. Though harmless, all these small, subtle changes were starting to disturb me. Something about the whole situation was just… off.

We walked ahead and suddenly I heard a grating noise. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it…

"Look out!"

Prince grabbed me and pulled me back, just as I was about to get a lobotomy from a spiked log that rolled up and down between the walls, just in front of a huge chasm in the floor. Prince looked at me and cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, hell no!" I quickly protested before he could say anything. "See that head on my shoulders? The one with the black hair? I LIKE it there!"

He groaned and threw his hands up in exasperation.

"By the gods, you're even worse than Farah!"

He tried to appear annoyed, but the look never reached his eyes. He suddenly became quiet and I realized what was wrong.

"You still love her, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter," he turned away, "even if she remembered, there is no way we could be together. Not as long as that dreaded beast pursuits me."

I looked at Prince, at the chasm and back at Prince again. I sighed, making a decision I just knew I was going to regret. Praying to whoever was up there, I rolled underneath the spiked log and with a loud cry, leaped across the chasm. I didn't quite make it, but was able to grab onto the edge. Wincing when my bare knees scraped across the side of the platform, I managed to swing my legs up and rolled on my back. Prince blinked in surprise, but followed me anyway.

"What got into you all of the sudden?" He smirked, helping me up.

"Just eager to kick some Empress butt," I smirked back in what I hoped was a cool, action heroine like way.

'So that damn Dahaka won't get in the way of you and a certain Indian princess,' I added silently. I hated to admit it, but I was a sucker for true love conquering all and stuff like that. I just hoped that my unpredictable episodes of rabid Prince/Farah fangirl-ism wouldn't result in my dead body lying at the bottom of a spike pit. Or getting eaten by sand creatures. Or both.

My ears suddenly picked up the sound of footsteps and I saw a lone Keeper patrolling the corridor ahead. Back in the real world, I hated fighting them with a passion: their intelligence was nothing to write home about, but their skull helmets made it ridiculously hard to kill them if you didn't have a decent sword.

"It's just one of them, but if we let him get away, he'll bring back with reinforcements," Prince whispered.

I nodded in agreement: one peep from skullface and the place would be swarming with Keepers and Raiders in no time.

"Yeah, you better take him out fast."

Prince fell over and glared at me.

"What, you don't seriously believe I'm going to fight that thing, are you?!" I protested loudly. "I don't even have a weapon!"

"Shhh!!!" Prince hissed, but it was too late. The Keeper turned around and spotted us.

"Assist me!" he yelled, while charging at us with a dagger. Three more Keepers and a Raider appeared behind him, not looking too friendly.

"Oops…" I apologized sheepishly while quickly scrambling behind a rock near the chasm. Prince just muttered something under his breath and took out his sword, narrowing his gaze at the approaching sand creatures. The first Keeper was disposed off rather easily, but the others were ready to take his place. Prince ran vertically up a wall and jumped off, slashing away at their backs. One of them turned brown and started leaking sand, indicating he was in a weakened state. Wasting no time, Prince stole his weapon and disembowelled it's former owner. With deadly precision, he threw the weapon at the final Keeper, who dissipated in a cloud of sand.

"Woohoo!" I cheered from my hiding place. "Go Prince! It's your birthday! Nice-ACK!"

A little too late, I realized I had forgotten about the Raider who was now pinning my arms to my sides.

"Hey, no fair using a chick for a shield!" I yelped, trying to squirm my way out of his grasp. "Let me go you mugger!"

He growled and my heart skipped a beat when I felt something sharp and cold pressing against my throat. Oh dear, this would not end well.

"You coward," Prince glared, "hiding behind a woman won't save you!"

"Yeah, that's right! It won't…" my eyes went wide when his words sunk in. "PRINCE! If you attack now, I swear to all deities known to man I'll-!"

Suddenly, time seemed to slow down. Literally. Prince tapped his medallion and freed me from my predicament. The Raider's eyes slowly turned to shock and his fingers started to twitch slightly. I just scowled at him and pushed him over the edge of the chasm.

"Eh… thanks," I mumbled stupidly, embarrassed beyond belief. Prince just sighed and picked up a small dagger from one of the dead Keepers.

"Take this," he said while handing me the weapon. "Your fists alone aren't going to get you very far. At least next time, you'll now be able to somewhat defend yourself."

I nodded shakingly, rubbing my sore neck and following the Prince further into the Palace.

Sweet Buddha, what did I get myself into?


	6. The boy who cried Dahaka

**A/N:** It's a bit short, but I needed to get it out! The next one will be longer!

* * *

**Chapter 6: The boy who cried Dahaka**

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Prince looked at me innocently.

"It's only a wall run!"

"Over a spike pit!" I protested, pointing at the gaping hole. I could even see some dried blood on the spikes and even worse: smell it.

"You're going to…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know I have to learn how to do that fancy circus act of yours sometime, but do I have to learn it _now_?" I whined quite pathetically.

"Well… I suppose we could try to find a way around the…" Prince eyes suddenly widened and he pointed behind me. "OH NO! THE DAHAKA! IT HAS FOUND US! RUN!!!"

"EEEEEEEEEK!!!!"

I didn't even hear all of it. At 'Dahaka', my brain immediately went off-line and panic took over. Screaming like a complete idiot, which I was, I zoomed across the wall with breakneck speed and landed flat on my face.

"Owie…"

When I stopped seeing stars, I wildly looked around for the Dahaka. Instead, I saw Prince still standing on the other side of the pit, holding his sides and laughing hysterically. My jaw dropped when I realized…

"YOU TRICKED ME!" I yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him. I was quite close to giving him the _other_ finger, but since he did have two weapons and a gazillion years of combat experience, I decided to just stick to shouting profanities for now.

"It worked, didn't it?" he shrugged.

"That doesn't make it okay!" I shrieked. "I could've had a heart attack, you know!"

"Or you could've been killed by sand creatures who don't have the patience to wait for you to learn to survive at your current pace."

I huffed, crossing my arms and looking to my side while Prince made his way across the pit.

"I guess you have a point," I muttered grudgingly.

"You're an odd one, you know that?"

He chuckled and ruffled my hair in a very un-Prince like way. He had always looked so bloodthirsty and badass on screen, but we had spend almost half a day together now and he was starting to soften up to me. Perhaps he was just desperate for company or maybe my bumbling reminded him of Farah somehow, even though she didn't nearly suck as much as me when it came to the art of not getting killed.

I knew I wasn't going to take Red's place as the New Love Interest. He looked more at me like a little sister, slash, goofy sidekick.

I grumbled a bit. Don't get me wrong, I'd give my right lung and both my kidneys to see him and Farah exchange rings or drink each others blood or whatever it is they do in Ubisofts version of ancient Persia. It's just that when in some lame fanfiction a person gets tossed into a random Japanese anime, they usually end up making wild animalistic love to one of the more attractive main characters. I had kind of hoped the same rules applied to videogames, but apparently I was just here for sadistic comic relief.

"Ugh… I'm a farmer in the Dragon Ball Z episode of life…"

"What did you say?"

"Never mind…"

We walked along the surprisingly quiet corridor. It wasn't far the to the Hourglass chamber now. At least… I thought we were close… I knew we had to go there first, get the Serpent sword and then mosey on to the Platform Device Room where we could enter the towers. However, this path didn't look familiar. Some elements I recognized, but others were completely new. Since I didn't have a memory card, I had been forced to start the game over quite a few times. If it wasn't for my complete lack of 1337 Princely Skillz, I should've been able to navigate my way to the Garden Tower blindfolded! Instead, the further we went, the more everything seemed to be out of place. So much for inside information…

I glanced sideways at Prince, wondering if I should tell him. I decided not to: never make a both armed _and_ sleep deprived Persian swordsman more nervous than he already is.

"What does the Empress look like?"

I blinked at him. Wow, that was random…

"Eh… I don't know," I said. "According to Red, she's behind a door that we can only open by activating the towers."

"Red?" he repeated curiously.

"I don't know her name yet, but I bet it's very unattractive! Like…eh… Stumpy!"

Prince fell over and looked at me rather disturbed. Hey, she outgunned and outmatched Farah in a battle of the boobs, so I had to do _something_ to make her look less appealing!

"What parents in their right mind would name their child 'Stumpy'?" he exclaimed. "Though… I suppose it's better than 'Alex'."

This time, _I_ fell over.

"WHAT?!"

"It is hardly fitting for a female!"

"It's gender neutral, and what do _you_ know about western names anyway, buddy!" I fumed. "You don't even have a name of your own!"

"I assure you, I was given a _proper,_ royal name after my birth!"

"What is it then?"

"It's-"

He never finished his sentence. His eyes widened and he pointed behind me again.

"Please," I snorted. "like I'm going to fall for that one again!"

"…"

"Heh, you even found a way to make your pupils shrink and the blood drain from your face! Nice try, but I'm so not buying it!"

"…"

"Prince?"

"…"

"You're not joking, are you?"

"…"

"Oh, crap…"

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, I can see that look on your face. I can see it right through the internet. Don't ring the Mary Sue alarm just yet, they aren't going to elope in the next chapter XD

There will be a little romance later in the fic, though. Even goofy sidekicks need love. However, Prince is 'off limits', the Dahaka is just…gross, and even though Kaileena has 'no love for the world of men', I doubt she's interested in Alex THAT way (seriously… that line cracked me up! Don't tell me it doesn't scream for a Kaileena/Shahdee oneshot!). But, who does that leave? A sand creature maybe? Oops, I'm going to end this author note now, I already said too much ;)


	7. Enter the towers

**A/N:**Things that don't make sense now, will make sense later, I promise! Also on a more general note: Rhea Hiryuu now has written a Warrior Within crossover as well ("Dark Dreams". It rocks. Go read it. NOW!) but any similarities between our fics are pure coincidental. I have the plot already planned out and I'm pretty sure she has to.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 7: Enter the towers**

"AkahaD eht epacse tonnac uoy!"

I had no idea what that thing said, but something told me he wasn't asking for a Scooby Snack. With a startled yelp, I decided to forget about Prince's name and make a run for it.

"Water!" Prince shouted. "We must find water!"

I was about to agree, when realization suddenly dawned on me. For the second time, there wasn't supposed to be a Dahaka chase at this point in the game! There weren't any convenient planned escape routes, reinforced doors to hide behind and if I remembered correctly, it would take us at least twenty minutes and a shitload of sand creatures to get our asses to the nearest Portal Room. Uh oh.

"Prince, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…"

"Can't it wait?" he asked, while smashing a couple of barrels to clear the way.

"Eh… not really. It's important. Really important. Really, really…"

"WHAT?!"

"The palace layout is totally out of whack, the Dahaka was not supposed to show up until you returned to the present and there's no way in hell we're gonna make it to the nearest waterfall in time!"

"What's the good news?" he panted, while we both did a wall run over another spike pit.

"I found a nickel and named it Phillip," I snapped sarcastically. "THERE IS NO GOOD NEWS!"

Prince was about to retort when he suddenly plowed into a giant door. Paying slightly more attention to the road, I managed to stop myself just in time to see we had run into a dead end. Emphasis on 'dead': I pulled, pushed and pounded my fists like an idiot, but the massive stone slab refused to budge!

"Alex! There's a ledge switch over there! If we pull it down, the door might open!"

Prince jumped on the ledge, which slowly started to move down as the door moved up. Unfortunately, things went a little too slow for my liking: perhaps the ridiculous size of the door has something to do with it, but I could barely see it moving up at all! I jumped when I heard the Dahaka roars echoing from down the hall. He was still standing on the other side of the spike pit, but I knew it wouldn't take long for that creep to remember he could teleport. I joined Prince on the ledge, hoping the extra weight would push it down faster, but the door continued to move up in a painstakingly slow pace. At this rate, it would take at least fifteen more seconds before the opening was wide enough to crawl through: fifteen seconds we did not have.

"Can't you slow time or something?" I squeaked as the environment started to lose more and more color.

"That might slow the Dahaka, but it will also slow the door! I would only prolong the inevitable."

"Well, you've been doing that for seven years now, I'm sure you could manage a few more seconds!"

I glanced nervously at the opening. It was now just wide enough for a hand to fit underneath. Oh, we were so royally screwed.

Another loud roar alerted us to the fact that the Dahaka had finally teleported and was now standing only a few meters away. I nearly threw up from fear when it's haunting white eyes met my own. Oh god, this was it! I was going to die!

I was about to have a panic attack when suddenly three figures appeared in front of us. I recognized one of them: the Sand Wraith. When still playing the game from the other side of the television screen, I'd seen him before, just before the final fight with Shahdee. But what was he doing here? And who were the others? They looked similar to him, only one of them seemed female, and the other one… well, I had no idea what his story was.

"We don't have time for this!" Prince protested, drawing his sword when the shortest of the male wraiths tried to join us on the ledge in some kind of twisted group hug. The female wraith tried to tell me something, but with a startled cry, she was suddenly hoisted off her feet by the Dahaka and pulled into that dreaded black void. Both males looked in horror, and the tall one let out an enraged shriek as he began slashing furiously at the writhing mass of tentacles. The Dahaka was not impressed and quickly grabbed him and the other wraith as well, ending their lives on the spot. In the blink of an eye it was over and the guardian of the timeline, apparently satisfied for now, jumped up and disappeared.

"That was… weird…" I mumbled after a long silence, my brain still trying to wrap itself around the fact that we didn't die.

"What… were those things?" Prince asked, his eyes still wide with fear.

"I don't know, and frankly I don't care," I shuddered. "Let's just find Stumpy so we can get that audience with the Empress."

Before Prince could object, I quickly jumped of the switch and made my way to the door. I didn't know about sand boy, but personally I didn't feel like waiting for the Dahaka to change his mind.

"Note to self: do not join the army," I groaned as I crouched through the opening on my stomach, military style. Someone offered me a hand and I gladly accepted, only to jump when I saw that standing before me was no one other than Red!

"Eep!"

"What are you doing here?" she glared at me.

"We must speak with the Empress," Prince said after he gracefully rolled under the closing door. Man, I really needed to learn how to do that!

"The Empress speaks with no one, who do you think you are?"

"Well… eh… I'm Alex and…"

She gave me another one of those creepy stares, causing me to shrink back slightly and scoot a little closer to Prince.

"Are you from another world?"

"She is, but what's it to you?" Prince answered rather aggressive. He was loosing his patience and frankly, so was I, though I didn't have the guts to show it.

"The Empress had a vision," Red informed us. "A girl from another realm arriving in our world, trapped in a body that is not her own."

"And dressed in a horrendous outfit," I muttered. "Did she say anything about how I might get out of here?"

"You are not part of this world or it's timeline," Red mumbled cryptically. "Your future is clouded and your presence here was not meant to be."

"Wait… that's a good thing, right? It means I might not show up on her sixth sense radar!"

She sighed and looked at me again, but not as creepy this time. In fact, I almost swore I saw a flash of pity.

"Whatever your fate may be, know that it cannot be changed. Neither can his," she nodded at Prince. "Leave this place now and never return."

"We saved your life! Twice!" the royal spat. "All we want is information!"

Red seemed to think for a moment, then turned around and walked away, motioning us to follow. I suddenly noticed that we were already in the Platform Device Room. WTF?! Stumpy was supposed to be waiting for us in the Hourglass Chamber! What was she doing here? And what was up with that giant door?! The hallway used to be open! That was it, I needed to get out of this messed up world, and I needed to get out now!

When we got to the stone rose in the center of the room, she handed Prince a sword.

"The Serpent sword will activate a series of bridges, granting you access to the Garden Tower and the Clock Tower. To open the door to the Throne Room where the Empress will create the Sands of Time, you must activate both towers. It won't make a difference, though…"

"Enough with the emo act already!" I suddenly snapped. "Maybe you're right, but we won't know that unless we try!"

Red sighed, knowing that she could not change our minds. Prince jammed the sword in the center of the rose and a turnstile rose from the floor.

"So, which tower should we do first?" I asked, glancing at the openings high in the walls.

"Perhaps it would be best if you split up," Red suggested. "There isn't much time left before the Empress will create the Sands."

"Oh, hell no!" I snapped. "I am NOT going to face an entire tower filled with psycho sand creatures on my own!"

"And if you didn't have to fight them?"

A cloud of sand formed between her outstretched hands. Being a priestess (or at least, I assumed she was one) of the Empress, apparently gave her a few powers of her own as well. The cloud suddenly flew in my direction and started whirling around my body. After a bright flash, I suddenly found myself wearing a crimson top with matching fingerless gloves that covered most of my arms. Instead of that cursed loincloth, I now wore crimson pants, tucked into armored knee-high boots. There were pieces of supple armor on other parts of my body as well, but not enough to hinder my movements. My hair was now put up in a bun, no longer getting in my eyes all the time and I had a new, both lither and sharper, dagger. In short: I looked a Blade Dancer and I LOVED it!

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I squealed, tackling Red and almost cutting off her air supply. Then I remembered that she was Prince's creepy new love interest and quickly backed off. I still didn't trust her and a new outfit wasn't instantly going to make me, though it was a good start…

"If you act normal, they will not attack," Red stated.

"You should take the Garden Tower, Alex," Prince said. "You at least partially know your way there… that is, if you don't mind splitting up. I'm not comfortable with the idea myself, but we would save a lot of time _and_ you wouldn't have to run from the Dahaka when it finds me again."

"Well… I don't know…"

"Of course you could also join Prince in the Clock Tower," Red opted. "But the place is ridden with traps and as long as you're with him, you will be considered hostile by the Exploding Dogs, Spike Beasts, the occasional giant Golem…"

"Alright! Alright! I'll take the freakin' Garden Tower!" I yelped, feeling rather queasy at the thought of being ripped to shreds by Batman-knows-what was lurking in that other tower. Besides that, I had enough Dahaka runs for one day. Maybe if we split up for a while, I could finally catch a breather.

Oh, If only I had known how wrong how wrong I was…


	8. First steps alone

**A/N:** I promised myself I would take a break after the last chapter… at least for a couple of days, but I'm having too much fun! The story is in my head and it keeps screaming to get out. Combine that with the fact that I have summer vacation now and you get an crazy update frenzy like this XD

By the way: I do plan to update my other stories, but Prince of Persia is my current obsession so I'm slightly favoring this one at the moment ;)

* * *

**Chapter 8: ****First steps alone**

"Take the Garden Tower, Alex," I mimicked Prince's voice. "If you don't mind splitting up and getting killed by rabid sand creatures while Stumpy and I laugh our asses off."

I cursed loudly when I saw some kind of bridge system that had to be activated by standing on a floor switch. I had seen it before and I knew I needed slow time in order to cross it or the bridge would retract before I was halfway there. Great, now what?! I looked around: all sorts of plants flourished on the floors as well as the balconies and though they weren't able to hold up the muscular body of Prince, the vines that grew abundantly throughout the tower looked strong enough to support my weight. I smiled: it seemed like I had finally caught a break. Tugging on one of the vines to make sure it was strong enough, I climbed across the wall and made it to the other side without using the bridge.

"So far so good," I said to myself as I ventured deeper into the tower. I had to admit I liked this place a lot better than the rest of the Palace. There was fresh air, I could feel a soft breeze on my skin and the scenery was gorgeous. I let out a sigh of content as I sat down against a tree and closed my eyes for a moment, listening to the trickling waterfalls and basking in the sun's warm rays. Oh yeah, I had _definitely_ gotten the better end of the deal here. While the 'King of blades' was trying to fix some grimy mechanical gizmos, fighting Golems and running from the Dahaka, I felt like I was taking a walk through the park.

"It's so peaceful," I yawned, "I'm sure no one will mind if… I rest here… for a moment…"

* * *

"Hey, you!"

I vaguely felt someone nudging my side and grumbled a bit.

"Hnng… g'way… five more minutes…"

This time, I got kicked rather hard and groggily, I opened my eyes.

"Wha…?"

Suddenly, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I had somehow dozed off under that tree and was about to get a very unpleasant wake up call.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I looked up at the Raider who had prodded me awake with his boot.

"Eh… nothing?"

"I can SEE that!" he barked, giving me another shove. "Get back on your feet, or I'll make you!"

I wisely decided not to argue and got up. The Raider started to patrol again and I had almost gotten away with it.

_Almost._

"Stay alert," He ordered gruffly when he was about to round a corner. "The Prince and his mate will be here shortly and they are not allowed to pass!"

"I AM NOT HIS 'MATE'!!!"

Well, wasn't _that_ just brilliant? I put my hand over my mouth, but the Raider froze and looked at me with wide eyes.

Oops…

"Send for reinforcements!" He cried as he turned around and started to chase after me.

"No, let's NOT send for reinforcements!" I yelped as I climbed a tree and jumped to a higher platform. The Raider glared murderously at me, then glanced at the tree. Oh no… he wouldn't…

Oh yes, he would.

"You are not supposed to know how to climb, you cheater!" I panicked. "It's against the rules!"

Apparently, the Raider was a rebellious one, because he swiftly made his way up the tree and jumped to the platform. I yelped and did a wall run to what looked like a balcony. Looking around, I saw Mr. Copycat was in the middle of doing the same.

"Stand tall, human!"

"Hey, I'm not human! Well, I mean I _was_ human, but… wait a minute, my head hurts…AHH!"

I barely dodged a blow from his axe, but jumped back before he could strike again.

"You're no match for me!"

Well, talk about stating the obvious. I drew my own dagger in a no doubt pathetic attempt to defend myself, but suddenly a razor-sharp disk blade whizzed past me and my attacker fell lifelessly to the ground, his head rolling off the edge of the balcony. Ouch…

"Damn Raiders," a seductive female voice huffed behind me. "Think they own the place!"

I turned around and came face to face with 'another' Blade Dancer.

"You alright, hon?" she asked sweetly, oblivious to the fact that she had just saved her enemy.

"Yeah, thanks," I tried to say in the same husky voice. I probably sounded like I swallowed a cheese grater, but she seemed to buy it.

"Well, remember to watch your back," the Blade Dancer warned in a hushed tone, her eyes darting left and right. "Those intruders are trying to activate the towers and apparently one of them is dressed like us!"

I blinked. How'd she know that? In fact, how did the Raider knew I was human once? Oh great, it looked like the Empress had been spying on us! I just hoped Prince would be alright…

"I'll keep an eye out for them," I lied, hoping she would leave before I said something stupid again.

"You do that," she nodded and gracefully bounced up a few ledges I could not reach. She got onto a wall and was about to jump off the other side when she looked down over the edge.

"Oh, and give me a heads up if you see that Persian prince, okay?" she smirked and winked at me. "I heard he's kinda cute!"

I waited silently until I was sure she was gone and then let out my subtle reaction:

"EEEEEEWW!!!!!!"

Oh man, I always thought they were just_ taunting_ Prince during those fights! My face twisted in disgust as all kinds of VERY wrong images formed in my mind.

"Yuck, I'm gonna have nightmares of this for months!" I shivered as I climbed down a ladder. My new gloves made it easier to get a good grip and I was glad that I didn't have to worry about perverted sand creatures peeking under my skirt. With a soft thud, I landed on the grass. To my surprise, there weren't that many sand creatures around. I think I briefly saw a few Keepers in the distance, but nothing like the wild lynch mobs that normally awaited me when I played this level. The place was almost deserted! I guessed the Empress had send most of them after Prince in the Clock Tower and I wasn't considered much of a threat. I didn't know if I should feel very relieved or incredibly insulted.

I decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and continued my trek. The environment seemed to be in real time and I seriously did not want to spend the night here. Then again, at the rate things were going, It could take a while before I found a way to activate the towers. According to reviews I had found on the internet, 'Warrior Within' was good for about 15 hours of game play. Unfortunately, things seemed to work differently here and even if I had three times the skill as Prince, there was no way I could make it through the tower before dark.

Great…

I suppressed a yawn. It was only around four in the afternoon, but because I didn't have a memory card at the time, I had stayed up all night playing Warrior Within until dad cut the power. The constant running from Shahdee, random sand creatures and of course Mr. Dahaka had been more than enough to keep me awake, but now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, I could feel tiredness tugging at my eyelids. That ten minute catnap under the tree was hardly a replacement for a good night's sleep.

I shook my head and splashed some cold water from a nearby fountain in my face. That helped me focus again and I looked around to see where I was supposed to go. I was standing on some kind of grassy field with various trees and shrubs. Looking up, I saw a series of balconies. Apparently, the only way out, was up.

"Now, where should I… OWW!"

Something plowed into my back, almost causing me to fall into the fountain. I whirled around to see who attacked me, but then I felt a sharp beak pecking at my head.

"Ack! Leave me alone you stupid bird!" I yelped, running around and frantically mowing my arms in an attempt to get it off me. "Shoo! Shoo!"

After a couple of failed attempts, I finally managed to grab one of it's wings and flung it away. The animal was slightly larger than my hand and it's feathers were black with a purplish shine. Other than then the fact that it had creepy glowing eyes, it looked like a ordinary crow. A completely insane one, that was.

Barely phased, it flew up to attack my face and two more decided to join the fray.

"Argh! When I get home, I'm cancelling my membership to PETA!" I yelled as I stabbed around blindly with my dagger and after what seemed like an hour, finally killed one of them. The other crows decided not to push their luck and screeching loudly, flew off into the air.

"Yeah, that's right!" I panted, weakly shaking my fist at the sky. "You better remember who's on top of the food chain here!"

I smiled, realizing that I had just won my first fight! Sure, it was just against a flock of birds… that were only slightly larger than my hand… and didn't use any weapons… and could not even take one hit… and two of them still managed to get away… But other than that, I ruled!

With as much dignity as I could muster, I plucked a few feathers out of my hair and redid my messed up bun. Spotting a pillar, I climbed up and made my way to the next balcony. I checked out my surroundings, but again there wasn't a sand creature in sight. A shiver suddenly ran down my spine and I gulped. If there was obviously no one around…

… then why couldn't I shake the unsettling feeling that I was being watched?


	9. Damn you, Stumpy!

**A/N: **It's been only a week ago since I updated, but it felt longer… I'm glad I managed to finish this one today. Read and review!

P.S. Brace yourself for my most evil cliff hanger yet. Don't worry though, I'll update quicker this time!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Damn you, Stumpy!**

"Those had better not be poisonous," I cursed under my breath as I dropped from a ledge and landed right in a patch of plants from highly questionable origin. Then again, _everything_ was 'highly questionable' on this freaky island. I took a moment to inspect my surroundings. I was still no Prince of Persia, but step by step I was slowly but surely making my way through the tower and closer to my goal. To be honest, I didn't think I was doing all that bad for someone who always used to get picked last when teams had to be made in gym class.

"Just because I sometimes accidentally score a few points for the other team, doesn't mean I…WHOA!"

My heart skipped a beat when I almost walked straight over the edge and plummeted into the abyss below. I really needed to stop getting distracted and pay more attention to the road, or I'd kill myself before the sand creatures did. I gulped and searched for a way to the next platform, only to discover there was none. At least… not at first glance. If there was one huge advantage to being stuck in the game rather than watching it through a screen, it was that you didn't have to spend hours fiddling around with the camera view.

Rather than running around aimlessly until I fell into a coma from frustration (my usual game play tactic when I stumbled upon a seemingly dead end), I decided to stay calm and go through my options. It was too far to jump and I doubted I could wall run my way across the bumpy rocks. There weren't any ledges or pillars, and I didn't spot any ladders or ropes I could use. Suddenly, I saw it: a vertical niche in the wall that, looking up, lead to a smaller platform above me. I sighed: seriously, I would be glad once I got to travel horizontally again. There is little more frustrating than jumping and climbing for hours and not feeling like you're actually getting somewhere. My fear of heights, of course, didn't improve things either. I stepped into the niche and prepared to vault my way up when I suddenly remembered that I had absolutely no idea how to do that.

I first tried jumping up and down: obviously this didn't work. It only made me look like a sand frog with brain damage. I tried to jump again, while attempting to zigzag between the walls, but ended up looking like a sand frog with brain damage and a bruised butt. After 23 failed attempts and shouting a string of profanities that would make even the Prince blush, I decided to use a different approach. Pressing my back and shoulders against one wall and putting my feet against the other, I slowly but surely managed to walk vertically up the niche and triumphantly jumped on the platform.

"Oh yeah!" I punched a fist into the air. "Spiderman, you just got _served_!"

"Ahem…"

Standing on one leg, I froze in the middle of my victory dance and blinked at the raspy voice behind me. Oh damn… I knew that hissing tone. Turning around, I saw a very familiar sand creature staring at me and I barely managed to suppress a startled yelp. Tall, dark and anything but handsome, Silhouettes definitely scored an eight out of ten on the creep-o-meter. Twelve, if you took in the fact that they were not only able to scream loud enough to bust your eardrums, but also seemed to have an unlimited supply of knives at their disposal.

"C-can I help you?" I stuttered, trying to smile pleasantly and not make any sudden moves. I might have had a small chance of outrunning a Raider or Keeper, but Silhouettes were ridiculously fast and even Prince had a hard time catching them without his timepowers. They were easily killed by thrown weapons, but I only had one and couldn't aim if Raymond van Barneveld held a gun to my head.

"What are you doing up here?" he (or she, there was no way to tell) asked me.

"Err…ah…stretching exercises!" I said quickly, trying my hardest to keep a straight face. "I need to stay in shape, you know."

The Silhouette narrowed it's eyes at me, obviously not believing a word I said and I couldn't help but feel like something was off. Sure, I acted like a moron, but not even that Raider had been on to me that fast. Now that I thought about it, why had those birds attacked me? I looked like a Blade Dancer and I couldn't remember doing anything suspicious at the time.

"W-why are you looking at me like that?" I tried, hoping that I was just being paranoid.

"You're not one of us…" it hissed, moving a little closer to me. Behind him, ten Keepers, six Raiders and a three Blade Dancers landed on the platform and I realised now why there had been so little of them on the lower balconies: they had all gathered up here and I had walked straight into their trap!

'How did they recognise me? I fooled that Blade Dancer earlier and the Raider only caught me because of my own stupid comment! Something must have changed in my appearance… but what?!'

I looked myself over and immediately spotted the problem. It was not my appearance that had changed, it was the environment! Despite having the clothes of a Blade Dancer, I was still a Harem Girl, a sand creature from "The Sands of Time". Unlike that of the monsters from "Warrior Within", _my_ sand was clearly visible as a glowing orb in my stomach. In broad daylight my thin clothes provided just enough coverage, but now the sun had started to set, I looked like a freakin' Christmas tree. Damn you, Stumpy!!!

I briefly heard something rustling behind me, probably more sand creatures. The way back was blocked by the Silhouette and the others had me completely surrounded. No, this would not end well.

"S-stay back! I'm dangerous!" I yelled, trying to look as mentally unstable as I could. Fight and flight were both out of the question, so if I wanted to live, I had to bluff my way out.

"I'm not here to hurt you," one of the Blade Dancers cooed with a menacing glint in her eyes.

"Watch it lady, I'm a gamer on the edge!" I warned while trying to make threatening hand gestures. "I could snap at any moment and you seriously do NOT want to be near me when that happens!"

The sand creatures just snorted, apparently more amused than afraid. Not that I blamed them…

"She's no match for me!" one of the Raiders declared mockingly as he took a step closer, the others following suit.

"Oh, y-yeah?!" I tried to retort, my voice a pitch higher from growing panic. "Well, I-I'm s-stronger than I look! I could totally beat up… eh…eh… THAT guy!"

Without looking, I randomly pointed at the source of the rustling. Amazingly, the sand creatures were clearly impressed by my statement, even though they outnumbered their target twenty to one. Wait a minute… Just what WAS standing behind me?!

I was pretty sure I didn't want to know. I was also pretty sure I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Both my suspicions were confirmed when a dark shadow loomed over me and I felt a cold hand on my shoulder.

"Rise up, girl," a thick, watery voice spoke. "I accept your challenge!"


	10. A turn for the worse

**A/N: **I'm back! In black! Well, orange actually, but let's not go into details. I've been busy, hunting for a job. Like I already explained to Rhea, If I had to pick between going job hunting and fighting the Crow Master naked with only a bag of kitty litter to defend myself, I'd pick the Crow Master…

Seriously…

* * *

**Chapter 10: ****A turn for the worse**

I turned around and froze when I came face to face with no one other than the Crow Master. Or rather… face to midriff, since the guardian of the tower wasn't only HUGE, but also floated a good twenty centimeters off the ground. My mind went completely blank as he towered over me, brandishing a sword that made my small dagger look like a toddler's butter knife. System error. Does not compute. Danger, will Robinson!

"I accept your challenge," he said again, a little more impatient this time.

Survival instinct kicked in and with a startled squeak, I pulled away from his hand and backed off as far as I could. Unfortunately, the platform had become somewhat crowded and one of the Keepers yelped as I stepped on his toes. He angrily took a failed swing at me with his axe, almost beheading one of the Blade Dancers in the process.

"Watch it, you idiot!" she exclaimed, trying to hit him, but accidentally elbowing a Raider in the ribs. He in turn attempted to shove her away, but tripped and crashed right into the Silhouette, who prepared to unleash a wave of knives that would have killed us all, if it had not been for the Crow Master.

"Stop fighting each other like children and save your energy for the Prince!" he snapped in a way that left no room for discussion. Grudgingly, the Silhouette lowered his weapons, but not before shooting _me_ a particularly dirty look.

"Hey, what did _I_ do?!"

"You invaded our island," the avian demon answered for him in a threatening tone, floating a little bit closer to my position. Uh oh, that's right, he wanted to kill me. I opened my mouth in an attempt to stall him, but panic took over and no words came out.

"Come, let's finish this," he mocked as he reached for me, while I just stood there like a statue, my mouth still opening and closing like a goldfish. Uh oh. This was bad. This was VERY bad. Come on Alex, say something! ANYTHING!

"Hair!"

No, not that.

The Crow Master briefly looked confused, but shook his head and raised his sword…

"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!!!" I shrieked, finally recovered from my initial shock. "We can't fight! It's…eh…eh… too crowded here!"

He seemed to consider my protest, then lowered his weapon.

"Indeed," he nodded. "Our current location is not suitable for battle."

My jaw almost dropped to the floor. Hold on… Was he actually _buying_ my lame excuse? Woohoo!

"Yeah, but what can you do about it, right?" I smiled sheepishly. "Guess I had better get back on my way and… ACK!"

I didn't get very far because a strong arm quickly wrapped itself around my waist and yanked me off my feet. Before my brain had registered what was going on, I suddenly found myself soaring through the air, the Crow Master carrying me like a rag doll. Being the calm and rational person that I am, I wisely assessed the situation and, after careful consideration, did what every sane person would do:

I panicked.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW YOU FREAKIN' PSYCHO! AMBER ALERT!!! AMBER ALERT!!!"

The guardian of the tower landed and, without warning, dropped me on the ground. Slightly disoriented, I looked around and saw that we were now standing on a rather large terrace on the other side of the ravine. Looking back at the platform, I saw the sand creatures pointing and laughing hysterically. My panic slowly turned to anger, and when the Crow Master started snickering as well, something inside me flared up. I wasn't athletic, I wasn't courageous, and what little fighting 'experience' I had, consisted mostly of playing videogames and watching old episodes of the Power Rangers on YouTube. I was pretty sure even Tinky Winky could kick my ass. However: I was sick and tired of being mocked. I was sick of always being the last to be picked in gym class. I was sick of being walked all over like a doorstep. This time, this day, this very second… I would stand my ground!

"Get back on your feet, girl, I want to win with honor!"

Then again, I suppose I could reschedule…

"AAH!"

I yelped and rolled out of the way, seconds before his sword struck the stone tiles at the spot my neck had been. I got up and barely managed to dodge another blow.

"You're going to have to try harder if you hope to best me!" the avian demon stated, taking another swing at my head. However, this time, something rather strange happened. As if acting on instinct, I grabbed my dagger and deflected his attack. Furious, he kept lashing out, but without even having to think, I successfully thwarted each of his blows.

I was blocking!

My brief relief soon made place for worry, when I realized that staying on the defensive would only worsen the situation. Even as a sand creature, I still had zero strength and stamina. Every time our blades clashed, my knees almost buckled on impact and I was having more and more trouble pushing him away. Every blocked attack drained me of my energy and I knew that if I ever wanted to strike, I had to do it now.

"I find this display of weakness…"

The Crow Master never got the chance to finish his mocking, because with a loud cry, I lunged at him with my dagger aimed straight at his chest. Unfortunately, he countered my weapon with his own and I was send crashing into a wall. Groaning, I slowly got back on my feet and glared at the smug looking sand creature. I racked my brain for a way to wipe that smirk of his face: I knew most of the Empress' minions had a particular flaw. Keepers were very vulnerable to wall run attacks, and Raiders were slow and easily grabbed to be strangled or just tossed aside. The agile, but poorly armored Blade Dancers stood little chance in melee combat, while the lightning fast Silhouettes could be killed at a distance by a single thrown weapon. The Crow Master however, neither lacked speed, strength or endurance. He was a dedicated and extremely skilled warrior, his only known weakness an inability to defend against acrobatic attacks.

Which pretty much meant I was screwed.

The avian demon screeched and slashed at me with his sword. This blow was much more powerful than the other ones, and this time I couldn't fend him off. I gasped as I grabbed the hilt of my dagger with both hands, pushing back with all my might. I had done this before when playing the game, during the fight with Shahdee. However, just tapping at a button and actually having to do the dirty work yourself, were two different things. Where I was quite good at the first, I now found myself rapidly loosing ground. The fact that our faces were so close that I could feel his breath on my skin, also did very little to ease my nerves.

I ignored the growing strain on my arms and back, desperately trying to figure a way out of this mess. Even if I somehow won this little power struggle, what was I going to do? The Crow Master was much faster than me, so running was no option. I had to defeat him, which was easier said than done. Not only was he freakishly tall, but I was also shorter than Prince and with a total height difference almost half a meter, I couldn't just pull a Matrix move and vault over the guy…

Guy?

Wait a minute…

"I did not expect you to fail so quickly," the demon taunted, but a particularly evil idea had just crossed my mind.

"I know this is kinda low," I apologized sheepishly, "but since your weapon is at least three times bigger and sharper than mine, I think I'm entitled to at least one dirty trick."

He cocked an eyebrow in confusion, but before he could ask, I brought my knee up… and socked him right in the family chocolates!

His eyes bulged out of his head as he broke our weapon lock and doubled over in pain. Now that he was down to my level, I quickly grabbed his shoulders and prepared to vault over his stunned form. Unfortunately, he recovered MUCH faster than any human man would and with an aggravated shriek, he sharply arched his back and rose up to full height in the middle of my attack. My hands slipped and with a startled yelp, I instinctively grabbed the first thing I could get hold of… which happened to be the Crow Master's head.

He whirled around in an attempt to shake me off, but I tightly latched onto his back, using my legs to pin his arms to his sides.

"Eat dagger, big bird!" I yelled as I prepared to stab him, but he violently jerked his right shoulder, causing me to lose my balance and drop my weapon in the process. I reacted quickly and wrapped my arms around his neck, but my dagger skidded over the stone tiles and the edge of the terrace, plummeting into the depths below.

Oh shit.

Oh shit.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

I heard the sand creatures on the platform laughing their asses off as I held on for dear life, the Crow Master spinning around and struggling to free his arms.

"Release me NOW, you little nuiseance!" He shrieked angrily.

"Hell no!" I yelled. "Just what would happen if I let go, huh?"

"You will not leave this island alive!"

Well, at least he was honest… I sweatdropped animestyle and couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"You know, you could at least _try_ to lure me into a false sense of securi… AAAAARGH!!!"

My brief laps in concentration cost me dearly: the avian demon shot his head back, almost breaking my nose. Taken completely by surprise, I let go of his neck to reach for my face, but he grabbed my wrist and flung me against a wall.

"Unfortunate that you have fallen so easily," he said smugly as I lay on the floor, my head still reeling from the impact. I had slammed into the wall quite hard and I was pretty sure I had left a nice Alex-shaped dent in the rocky surface.

"H…hey… don't you know… not to strike… a…a woman?" I weakly mocked one of the corny Blade Dancer lines in an attempt to react somewhat witty. It was the only one I agreed with at the moment: there was nothing 'pleasurable' about my pain and I certainly wasn't going to 'commend' him.

"Stand tall, human!" One of the Raiders jeered, obviously amused. I tried to get up, but I was still dizzy and very disorientated. My sand creature body seemed more tough than my human one, but that crash had roughed me up good. I threatened to loose my balance, when someone suddenly caught my arm and steadied me on my feet. I almost fell over again when my mind slowly registered that this 'somebody', was the Crow Master. I stared at him, dumbfound, as he backed away and reached for his sword. What on earth was he doing?

He showed me the blade, then grabbed the handle with both hands and stabbed it into a crack in the wall behind him. Suddenly everything fell into place.

Honor.

I had lost my dagger and by giving up his own weapon as well, he had just leveled the playing field. I looked at the avian demon and felt a pang of guilt for nailing him below the belt. Then again, he _was_ trying to kill me…

"Let us continue this," he said, beckoning me with one outstretched hand. "I'm not finished yet."

Shakingly, I got into a fighting stance… or at least, I hoped it looked like one. I once punched a boy when I was seven for taking my crayons, but other than that, I knew less than jack about hand-to-hand combat. What was I going to do? _Breathe_ on him?! I gulped when he stalked closer, wondering if things could possibly get any worse.

The answer to my question presented itself on the other platform, in the form of a screaming Blade Dancer and a black cloud that drained the environment of color, though my face was already white as a sheet.

I really should learn when to stop thinking…


	11. The bold and the brainless

**A/N:** I have to do a lot of presentations for school next week (they're holding our diplomas for ransom), a job interview and then I'm off for three days to an anime convention! I might squeeze in one last update before I leave, but I'm not making any promises. I still have to work on my Goku costume (read: go out and buy flowers for my mother for doing it for me)… Oh well, enjoy this installment for now and don't forget to review!

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**Chapter 11: ****The bold and the brainless**

"Not _now_…" I groaned and smacked my forehead as the Dahaka crashed down on the platform, pulling one of the Blade Dancers into that dreaded black void. The other sand creatures attacked furiously, but it was obvious that they were fighting a losing battle. The Silhouette unleashed a flurry of knives, but was quickly beheaded of by the one of the violently lashing tentacles. Three Raiders and a Keeper lunged at the Dahaka's dark form, but they were swatted away like insects. The guardian of the Timeline didn't even take them seriously as fighters; he just considered them mere obstacles between himself and his target, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who that was.

"Hey, buddy! In case you haven't noticed, Prince isn't here! We split up, okay? Go play in the Clock Tower or something!" I shouted, not really worried this time, but very annoyed none the less. Hello, I was quite busy trying not to die here and I didn't need any more distractions!

The Dahaka looked me in the eyes and roared something I couldn't understand. The Crow master, however, raised an eyebrow.

"It appears to be interested in _you_," he stated, not seemingly alarmed by the fact that a giant demon was slaughtering his fellow minions. Or perhaps he had just learned to hide his emotions very well. I didn't have a clue what was going on in that head of his, and it seriously crept me out.

"Me!?" I exclaimed. "Oh, no, no, no… _Prince_ is the one who screwed with the hourglass, I didn't even _touch_ the damn thing!"

I nervously glanced at the platform, where the Dahaka was still busy fighting off the sand creatures. There were only a couple of Keepers and a Blade Dancer left and it wouldn't be long before those kicked the bucket as well. A small, nagging voice in the back of my head suggested that maybe it was not a bad idea to start running, but I was still in denial. Yeah, it had tried to kill me earlier, but that was just because I was in the way… right? He was after Prince and the minute he realized that his prey wasn't here, he would simply shrug and go away… wouldn't he?

That small, nagging voice didn't buy it. The terrace was large, but it was also open. There were no trees or shrubs to hide behind and even from a distance, it was pretty obvious that I and the Crow Master were the only ones present.

"He… he's not leaving… is he…?" I stammered, realization slowly dawning on me. The Crow Master said something, but I didn't hear him. For a moment, it felt like both time and my higher brain functions had crawled to a near halt. Blurred memories flashed through my mind, fragments of dialogue that now suddenly made sense.

"_**You cannot escape your fate**__**."**_

"_The Empress had a vision, __a girl from another realm arriving in our world, trapped in a body that is not her own."_

"_**Your journey will be long and there will be many difficulties on your path."**_

"_You are not part of this world or it's timeline.__"_

"_**Embracing your fear will set you free."**_

"_Your presence here was not meant to be__."_

"_**And…"**_

"_HAIR!" _

"_**Y**__**ou will die."**_

"Back at the palace… he wasn't after Prince… he was after me!" I whispered hoarsely, trembling from head to toe. "I don't belong here…"

As if on cue, the Dahaka threw the last Keeper of the platform and moved his gaze to us. I snapped out of my shock and tried to run, but I found myself unable to move. Not because I was paralyzed with fear, but because the Crow Master had caught my upper arm in an iron grip, apparently opposed to the idea of me cutting our battle short.

Oops…

Before I could protest, the Dahaka let out a loud roar and leaped to our terrace. Both of us turned to the wicked creature, and for a moment I was sure the avian demon would laugh and hurl me right into it's gaping maw. Instead, he roughly pushed me behind him, glaring murderously at the guardian of the timeline.

"Stand down," he warned. "I will not allow you to kill the girl."

I looked at how he bravely faced the Dahaka and swooned, momentarily forgetting that he had tried to kill me only minutes earlier. I was a damsel in distress and this tall, dark stranger would save me from the monster! Is this had been an anime, I would've had little hearts for eyes.

"The intruder has challenged me, and she will die by my hand alone. Do not interrupt us."

I fell over and a sweat drop the size of a small Volkswagen appeared on my temple. Well, didn't _that_ theory just crash and burn…

The Dahaka blinked, then made a strange, rumbling sound. It took me a few seconds to realize he was laughing. Before either of us could even blink, the creature shot out a mass of writhing black tendrils and snatched the Crow Master off his… well, whatever it was he had instead of feet. With a startled shriek, the avian demon turned into a flock of crows, but almost immediately changed back. He tried again and again, but somehow the Dahaka's dark aura kept him from fully transforming. I just stood there and stared with wide eyes, my brain's command to 'get the hell out of here!' for some reason not reaching my legs. It felt like I was watching TV and yelling at the main character not to enter the haunted house, even though I knew very well she couldn't hear me.

Run.

_Run._

RUN!!!

Good, you finally moved. Are you going to try and climb up that wall? Good idea Alex, there's a ledge just next to that crack the Crow Master stuck his weapon in. If you can get up there, you can climb out of the ravine and leave those two to kill each other off. Ah, good girl. you've made it. Now just jump, grab the edge of the wall and…

Wait a minute… What are you doing? Why are you looking at big bird's sword like that? It's an impressive blade, but you really don't have time to grab it, being next on the Dahaka's hit list and all.

No.

NO.

NO.

Don't even think about it. Did you hear me? Don't you _dare_! For the love of… Put that thing down! Put it down right now! Don't do it! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

"CATCH!"

I don't know whether it was lack of sleep getting to me or just an attack of plain stupidity, but a suicidal side of me I never knew I had, yanked the Crow Masters sword out of the wall and threw it back at it's original owner. I didn't even wait to see if he caught it: the minute the weapon left my hand, I jumped out of the ravine and ran like the idiot I was.

I bolted through the tall grass, ignoring the surprised looks from a group of patrolling Raiders. My mind raced feverishly, trying to make sense of the situation.

What had I done? What had I DONE?! I was home free, dammit! Both of them had been distracted and when the Dahaka had finally gotten rid of the Crow Master for me, I would have been long gone. My survival had been handed to me on a silver platter, _gift wrapped_! You do not, I repeat, do NOT have pity on a sand creature, especially not one that keeps stating you will die by his hand! That is… if Mr. Dahaka doesn't disembowel you _first_.

I raced up a pillar and leaped to a higher platform. No pausing for air. No looking back. Just running like the wind and trying to get away as far from both of them as I could.

Switching from damsel in distress to knight in shining armor, had been one decision I just _knew_ I was going to regret…


	12. A life for a life

**A/N: **Woohoo! Last minute update! I couldn't leave you hanging like that ;)

**Warning:** the following chapter contains screaming sorority girls, misplaced movie references and an eardrum liquefying impression of Linkin Park. Proceed with caution.

* * *

**Chapter 12: A life for a life**

"If a giant black demon happens to pass by, you haven't seen me!" I shouted at a Blade Dancer, who just looked quizzically at my fleeing form. Just before rounding a corner, I heard her gasp, followed by a shrill scream that echoed through the air. I could see the green vegetation slowly turning sepia and the Dahaka's stomping made the ground shake beneath my feet.

I sped up by doing wall runs, successfully increasing the distance between us, if only by a little bit. I tried to kick up the pace, but the fight with the Crow Master had worn me out. I felt a sharp pain in my sides and almost tripped over a protruding tree root. Ignoring my aching muscles, I jumped over the obstacle and kept running as fast as I could, keeping a close eye on the road. I didn't recognise this terrain and my pursuer was dangerously close: one misstep and I could kiss my sand creature behind goodbye.

"ARGH! Good Dahaka! Nice guardian! Down, boy, down!" I panicked as a black tentacle whizzed past my ear. Oh, man, not good! Not good!

"Must…find…water!" I panted, jumping over a chasm and bolting away. The adrenaline rush had kept me going so far, but I didn't know how much longer I would be able to keep this up. I hoped to find a portal, but at this point I'd even settle for a bottle of Gatorade. Anything to keep that _thing_ off my tail!

I dropped to a lower platform and my eyes widened when I saw what was ahead. A rather large chasm, that stretched further than any I had seen before. It was much too far to jump and I couldn't wall run my way to the other side either. Not in one go, that was. Halfway across, a rope hung on the wall, and I knew what I had to do. Problem was, I had no idea HOW to do it. Hearing the Dahaka approaching fast, I raced across the wall and grabbed the rope. I tried running, but this turned out to be more tricky than I thought. I needed to go back and forth to gain sufficient speed, but every time I turned, the rope twisted around my arm and I got tangled up like some kind of sand creature noodle. Third time was a charm and I managed to continue my run, landing rather ungracefully on the other side of the gap. Unfortunately, I had little time to celebrate, since the Dahaka had gained ground and was now breathing down my neck.

"Really, you don't want to eat me!" I yelled over my shoulder, frantically scrambling away from the hulking demon. "You don't know where I've been!"

The Dahaka didn't buy it and followed in hot pursuit. Believe it or not, but we were about equal in terms of speed. In real life, I was also quite fast: one my few physical talents I actually took pride in. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for our stamina: I was ready to fall over and die, while the Dahaka hadn't even broken a sweat yet. And then, of course, there was his ability to teleport: every time I leaped over a pit and thought I had gotten away, he would disappear and reappear right behind me. I don't know if he actually teleported or just jumped to Warp for a few seconds, but whatever it was: it was pretty cool and I sure as hell couldn't do it.

I reached yet another chasm, and this one had to be crossed using a rope again. This time, however, it hung loose from a tree branch, instead of being attached to a wall. WTF?! Prince only had to play Tarzan in the Sands of Time! What was that thing doing here?!

Seeing no other way across, I decided not to complain and made a jump for the rope.

"Sayonara, sucker!" I yelled boldly as I grabbed hold and swung to the other side. My smirk faded when I lost momentum a bit sooner than expected. I stretched out one hand, but the edge of the platform was just out of reach.

"No, no, no, no…AIIIIEEE!!!"

With a startled yelp, I swung back and then forth again like a pendulum until I came to a complete halt.

Uh oh.

I frantically kicked with my legs, but I didn't have enough time for another try. With a triumphant roar, the Dahaka did his teleport/Star Trek thingy act and appeared behind me on the edge of the chasm. I could've sworn it was grinning, and not in the friendliest of ways.

"Eh… you know," I smiled sheepishly, "where I come from, 'sucker' is actually considered a compli….EEEEEEEEEEK!"

I barely dodge a dark tendril aimed at my head. It grazed my nose and I sneezed: apparently I was allergic to giant black demons that tried to kill me and remove my dead body from the timeline.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" I shouted rather pathetically. Then again, I had never been so afraid in my life. When you watch horror movies with a group of people, there's always one person who feels the need to boast about how _they_ would've handled things. Nine out of ten times, that person is you. Well… in my case, at least. I would _never_ run from the mad serial killer, oh no! I would grab whatever weapon I could get my hands on and kick his ass! Well, let me tell you one thing: when you actually _meet_ that mad serial killer, chances are you will most likely scream and faint, just like the rest of us. I know that in the movies, there are always a few brave souls who stand up and look the main villain in the eye, but I certainly wasn't one of them. I was Nameless Extra Number Three, the unsuspecting sorority girl who got stabbed to death in the shower before the themesong played.

I yelped when another tendril tried to wrap itself around my feet. I quickly pulled my knees up, desperately trying to stay out of the Dahaka's grasp. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was going to end very, VERY badly. I looked around one last time and realized that, unfortunately, there was only one thing left to do:

"SOMEONE!!! ANYONE!!! HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLPPP!!!!!"

The Dahaka howled and covered his ears, taking a step back. I stopped screaming and looked at him with pity.

"I see… You don't like loud noises, do you?"

The demon nodded, slowly lowering his hands.

"Well, too bad, you bastard! CRAAAAAWLING IN MY SKIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!! THESE WOOOUUUNDS THEY WIIIIL NOT HEEEEEAAAAALLL!!!!!"

The guardian of the timeline roared in agony, clutching his head and thrashing wildly.

"FEEEEEAAAAARRR IS HOW I FAAAAAAAAALLL!!! CONFUUUUSIIIING WHAT IS REEAAAAALLL!!! OOOOOWWWOOOOHHHOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Thorough research by yours truly had shown that this song had a 87 percent chance of getting on people's nerves. 99.5 percent in my case, since I was completely tone deaf and couldn't sing to save my life. I took a deep breath and prepared to crank up the volume for the grand finale. The Dahaka cringed when he saw my mouth opening, but both of us blinked when no words came out. Oh crap… I forgot the rest of the lyrics! I tried to resort to plain screaming again, but before I could make another sound, the demon quickly wrapped a tentacle over my face, leaving only my eyes and nose free. I glared at the Dahaka, feeling a little insulted: oh, come one, I wasn't _that_ bad!

Another tentacle latched itself around my waist and yanked me back, forcing me to let go of the rope. The world started spinning around me and I closed my eyes shut, preparing to audition for that great B-movie in the sky. Suddenly, I heard the rustling of feathers, the sound of a sword swishing through the air and an agonized howl from the guardian of the timeline. The tendrils, now severed from their owner, released me from their hold. I opened my eyes and wanted to thank whoever had saved me, only to let out a startled shriek when I realized I was falling, the bottom of the chasm approaching with rapid speed.

I was ready to pass out, but then I saw a dark shadow in the corner of my vision, rushing towards my falling form. Still dazed, I reached out and a hand grabbed my own, catching me seconds before I hit the ground.

"A life for a life," a distant voice echoed through my head before I closed my tired eyes… and fainted.

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**A/N: **Well, how about that? We'll have the wedding in the next chapter: no specific dress code, though it is advised to leave your feathered boas at home. 

… just kidding ;)

I love plot twists and trying to put people on the wrong track: when something seems obvious: most likely the opposite will happen… or will it? Oh well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? (smirks and strikes arrogant authoress pose)


	13. Only a matter of time

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay, I was busy! The next chapter shouldn't take quite this long ;)

* * *

**Ch****apter 13: Only a matter of time**

"Ugh…"

I groaned and groggily tried to open my eyes, failing miserably. The world was spinning and I felt like I had been hit on the back of my head with a sledgehammer.

'Courtesy of Dahaka industries, for more information: dial 1-800-WE-PWN-U,' I thought grimly. Still pretty much out of it, I tried to somewhat gather my surroundings. It was warm, the air smelled like freshly cut grass and I was snuggled rather comfortably against a soft, warm surface which seemed to be… breathing?!

Instantly awake, my eyes snapped open and widened in fear when a familiar pair of glowing ones stared back at me. My mouth opened, but a hand wrapped in ragged cloths muffled my panicked screams.

The Crow Master motioned me to be quiet and pointed down at something. I now noticed we were lying on a platform and peeking over the edge, I noticed the Dahaka standing below us, not looking particularly pleased.

"Ehs si erehw?!" it roared, smashing a couple of pots and wildly looking left and right. Okay, 'creepy Dahakalish' wasn't my first language, but THAT short sentence, I had understood. With considerably less blood in my face, I rolled back, laying flat on my stomach and trying to breathe as silently as I could. The Crow Master was laying next to me at less than an arms length away, but I rather took my chances with _him_ than with big, black and gruesome down there.

A life for a life, that's what he said when saving me from ending up as the Dahaka's afternoon snack. Did that mean he wasn't going to try to kill me anymore? No… something told me that wasn't it. This guy was loyal to the Empress and It'd take a lot more than a simple rescue to get him to miraculously see the error of his ways and switch sides, like in one those cheap action flicks where Baddy A teams up with Good Guy B to face off against Boss Baddy C for killing twin brother D's window washer -or something like that. Especially since it was kinda _my_ fault the Dahaka showed up in the first place…

I froze when the platform suddenly shook. The Dahaka was stomping on the ground, getting very frustrated. It wouldn't be long before he figured out that perhaps we were on a higher level. I looked around, desperate for a way to escape. Since the Crow Master had stopped moving, I assumed he had ran into a dead end. Imagine the look on my face when I spotted a portal room… right in front of our noses. The waterfall was embedded in the wall on the other side of the platform, sweet safety only a few meters away. My jaw dropped and I had to blink twice to convince myself it was real.

Smirking to myself, I slowly crawled towards the entrance, not daring to get up and risk alerting the Stalker of the Timeline. Almost there… almost…

I groaned mentally when I felt a hand grabbing hold of my ankle. Apparently I had already used up my supply of luck for today, because a certain avian demon was not about to let me go.

"Can't you bug me somewhere else?" I whispered. "Like, on the OTHER side of that curtain?!"

"The water harms us," he simply responded, looking at me like I had the IQ of a walnut. Oh, so he didn't want to fight, but was just suffering from acute aqua phobia. During a situation like this, I wasn't sure which was better.

"Yeah, well so will _he_!" I hissed, nodding at the edge of the platform. "Besides that, I've walked through one of those waterfalls before and I'm fine! Now, lemme go!"

I struggled to free my ankle, but the Crow Master refused to budge.

"As long as you are not out of danger, my debt has not been repaid," he stated. "I will not allow you to commit suicide."

If I had not already been lying down, I would've fallen over. I looked at him and went bug-eyed when I realized he was dead serious… pun fully intended.

"AND _THIS_ IS YOUR IDEA OF 'SAFE'?!" I shrieked, startling him enough to let me go. The minute those loud words had left my mouth, I felt like smacking myself. The Dahaka let out an enthusiastic roar and shot a black tentacle through the ground that barely missed our heads. Oops…

"You…" The Crow Master started threateningly, but I was already on my way to the portal.

"Save the death glares and run!" I yelped as the guardian of the timeline jumped on the platform, it's eyes flashing murderously.

I made a mad dash for the entrance and leaped through the watery curtain. Looking back, I saw the avian demon staring at me in utter shock, but seeing how it was safe, he flew over to me and attempted to do the same. However, when he hesitantly touched the waterfall, he withdrew his hand, shrieking in pain. What the… what was happening to him? Suddenly, it hit me: I was a sand creature from The Sands of Time: _they_ would follow the Prince wherever he went, even through pools or large fountains. However, sand creatures from Warrior Within had always seemed to have an odd aversion to water. I clearly remember starting the game and standing in a puddle on the boat. Two keepers were circling around me, but not once had they tried to come any closer. As long as I was standing in that puddle, they refused to attack. They really _could_ not stand the water!

I stared helplessly at the Crow Master, feeling…well… guilty as hell. Minion of the Empress or not, no one deserved to die like this. The Dahaka approached with a menacing grin on his face, but suddenly an idea struck me. It was a bit of a long shot… but perhaps just crazy enough to work.

"Turn into a flock of crows!" I shouted through the curtain.

"A waste of energy, he will just seize them with those tendrils," he glared at me, obviously blaming me for the entire thing. How rude…

"Birds have a wax-like coating on their feathers! You might be able to pass through the water that way!" I urged, nervously eyeing the dark cloud that was forming around the Dahaka. "Now hurry up, dammit!"

_Finally_, he dramatically raised his arms and in a flurry of feathers, transformed into a group of crows. Screeching loudly, they flew up and dashed right through the waterfall, seconds from being snatched by the writhing mass of black tendrils.

The birds crashed on the red carpet in a messy heap, looking as if someone had put them in a washing machine and turned on the spin cycle. I wasn't sure whether to call a vet or just laugh very, very hard.

A bit shaken, they slowly got up and turned back into the Crow Master. My theory about the wax protecting him from the water had worked… somewhat. Though he wasn't visibly injured, he still looked a bit ruffled up. It took him a good twenty seconds to regain his bearings. Both of us jumped when the Dahaka roared loudly in disappointment and vanished into thin air. Well… the Crow Master jumped: I let out a startled shriek and scrambled behind a pillar. When I heard nothing, I peeked carefully and saw that my strange companion was still staring at the waterfall, his back turned to me.

"Uhm, thanks for the rescue, but… I'm gonna leave now, okay?" I broke the uneasy silence. The avian demon did not move, staying silent. Right…. Whatever.

Quietly, I turned around and tiptoed towards the portal, but as I was about to step into the sand vortex, I was suddenly grabbed by the collar of my shirt, a dark shadow looming over me. Damn, I knew this had been too easy…

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to the future, laddie… ACK!"

Apparently, a cheesy movie pun alone wasn't going to get him off my back. Rather forcefully, I was flung away from the portal, almost skidding through the waterfall. I quickly scrambled away: it would be just my luck if the Dahaka had only _pretended_ to leave and was still lurking around the corner, ready to pounce on me.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?!" I shrieked, bolting up a pillar and trying to stay out of his reach. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that he could fly and before I knew it, I was back on the floor… face down.

"Rise up, girl," the Crow Master ordered. "Let's finish this."

Acting purely on instinct, I rolled away and jumped to my feet, assuming what I hoped looked like a proper defensive stance. That's right, _defensive_. Because though this world was crazy, ever changing and continued to surprise me, I knew one thing for sure: if I attacked Mr. Mental Case _now_, there was no was in hell I'd live to tell the tale.

"Whoa, stop! Time out!" I yelped as he threw me a sword from a nearby weapons rack and charged at me with his own.

"If this is your idea of keeping me out of danger, I _really_ question your methods!" I yelped as our blades clashed. Oh man… I never held a real sword before, let alone _used_ one. Should I just swing it around? Try to stab him or something? Did it have an on-switch? Give me a freakin' tutorial level here!

"You _are_ out of danger."

"I beg to differ," I squeaked nervously, looking cross-eyed at his sword, which was now dangerously close to giving me the nose job of doom.

I somehow managed to push him away and jumped back, my mind racing for a way to get out. I couldn't just yell "look behind you!" and make a run for the portal: I just noticed the switches were not lit yet, meaning the sand vortex was not active. I was so dead…

We were standing face to face, both of us waiting for the other to make the first move. Needless to say, the Crow Master should've brought a magazine, since I was in no rush to continue our fight.

"The creature has left, my debt has been paid," he said, suddenly lashing out at me again. I barely managed to block him, my knees almost buckling on impact. This was turning into a repeat of our last battle, only this time there wouldn't be a conveniently planned Dahaka chase to interrupt our fight.

"Can't I charge you for interest?" I tried, ducking just in time to evade another vicious swing from his sword.

"No," he said blankly, and attacked again. This time, I failed to block him and nearly blacked out when his blade slashed right through my stomach. I stumbled back, trembling not even able to scream: I was just too stunned from surprise and pain. Inspecting my clothes, I noticed that they weren't torn, but did change color. Instead of crimson, they were now a dullish brown and I knew very well what that meant: one more direct hit and I would never see my home again.

My old dagger had been smaller and much more easy to handle. This sword was almost as large as Prince's and anything but lightweight. I had trouble lifting it and struggled to keep my balance with every failed attempt to swing. I'd probably be much more agile without the clumsy weapon, but unfortunately I couldn't block the Crow Master's blade with my bare hands.

'Damned if I do, damned if I don't,' I realised grimly. With the sword I couldn't attack, but without the sword I couldn't defend. _Now_ what?!

I froze like a deer caught in the headlights when the avian demon charged at me with the obvious intention of settling our fight once and for all.

"Wait just a darn freakin' minute, buddy!" I protested, suddenly remembering how exactly I had gotten myself into this little predicament. "You still owe me for getting you through that waterfall!"

He didn't seem entirely convinced, but stopped mid dash nonetheless. Oh well, he could paint himself pink and do the Macarena for all I cared: as long as he _stayed_ there and kept his sword a good two meters away from my vital organs.

"The creature was after you, it did not have any quarrel with me to begin with," he said, slowly advancing on me again.

"I would've ran away from that thing, if _someone_ had not grabbed my arm and put himself between us!" I argued, taking a step back but finding myself trapped against a wall.

"My life was only endangered a second time, because you attracted the monster's attention," he glared at me, drawing his sword. "I own you nothing."

"Oh yes, you do! You were the one who got all paranoid back there! If you had just trusted me and let me go through the waterfall, I would never have started screaming!"

He still looked hesitant, though he had lowered his sword.

"Besides that…" I continued more calmly, "The Dahaka might not be the brightest demon in the box, but he isn't completely stupid either. He would've looked up eventually, it was only a matter of time."

What an ironic choice for words, I couldn't help but think. The Crow Master wasn't attacking, but he didn't back off either. He seemed to be considering what I said, trying to reach a decision. I could almost see two little crows sitting on his shoulders, one of them reminding him of his loyalty to the Empress and the other one representing his rather questionable sense of honor towards me. I just hoped the latter had more charisma while I stayed quiet and desperately tried to become one with the wall.

"I suppose… that neither of us is solely to blame," he admitted, though the look in his eyes told me I wasn't safe yet… not by a long shot.

"Eh… what about a compromise?"

Again, he seemed to be pondering my suggestion. After what felt like eternity times three, he finally crossed his arms and nodded.

"Your death shall be swift and painless."

I fell over animestyle, twitching as I got up.

"That's NOT what I had in mind!"

"State your proposal then."

"How about you leave me alone?"

"And what?"

"Well, nothing… that was basically it."

This time, the Crow Master fell over animestyle: a sight that would give me nightmares for weeks.

"That will not do," he said.

"Well neither will slicing and dicing my kidneys!" I protested loudly, but he was no longer listening. Instead, he looked outside through the waterfall, gazing at the sky. Night had fallen and only torches and the soft glow of the portal now illuminated the room.

"At dawn I will be loyal to the Empress of Time, at dusk I will be loyal to you. That is all I will offer."

I blinked at his strange proposal, though I knew I didn't have much of a choice. It wasn't what I had been hoping for, but at this point, I'd even settle for a small head start. I gulped, and nodded nervously in agreement.

"I will leave you be then," he said, his glowing eyes boring into mine. "But do not forget: when the sun rises, I _will_ kill you. It is only… a matter of time."

With that, he changed into a flock of crows and flew off into the night sky. Leaving me to wonder… if perhaps I _should_ have chosen for that quick and painless death. I ripped two curtains off the wall, using one as a blanket and folding the other into a makeshift pillow. I laid myself down on the soft carpet and fell into an uneasy sleep, hoping morning would never come.

Something told me that the Dahaka was now the least of my worries…


	14. Me, myself and I

**A/N:** Short chapter, but a very important one! I was walking around with this idea in my head and I just had to get it out. Enjoy!

By the way, a big thank you to all my reviewers. I didn't have time to answer the last ones, but I will try to do so with this chapter! If you want to flame, do it now while I'm in a good mood. I got a job interview next Tuesday! Woohoo!!! XD

* * *

**Chapter 14: ****Me, myself and I**

"This sucks so bad..."

I groaned as I kicked my improvised blanket away and slowly got up. I had slept, but only for a few hours and it hadn't helped much. I was still tired and feeling like I had been run over by a bus. Not to mention that I was still in that brownish state and leaking sand when I so much as _thought_ about moving my limbs.

Apparently, sleep alone wasn't going to cut it, now that I was a sand creature. I needed something else to heal and recharge my batteries. I glanced at the fountain, but decided against it: I should be glad that I was able to pass through the water, no need to push my luck. I'd better think this over…

'If humans need water to survive, then sand creatures need... Twinkies?'

I started pacing around, but accidentally tripped over a rather large pot. A cloud of sand rose up from the broken shards and was absorbed into my body. Almost immediately, my colors returned to normal and a surge of energy rushed through my system. Right… I knew that…

Still a bit high from the pleasant buzz, I looked outside and sweatdropped when I saw that the darkness of the night was already fading away. It wouldn't be long until sunrise... and certain, painful doom. Wasting no further time, I jumped onto the platform, allowing the sand vortex to transport me to the present. Then I grinned like an idiot and went back and forth a few times more, just because it was so much fun. Screw Prince and the Crow Master: after all the crap they put me through, I _deserved_ a few minutes of fooling around.

After the twelfth time or so, however, I got really nauseous and switched back to serious mode. Birdbrain would leave me alone until the sun came up, but the Empress' other minions were still out for my blood and in the dark, the sand in my stomach was clearly visible through my thin clothes.

'Note to self: feed Stumpy to the Dahaka.'

I stepped through the waterfall and cursed loudly at what I saw. A jungle! A freakin' Tarzanesk jungle!

"Who ever is supposed to be the gardener of this place..." I muttered, scraping my arm at a thorned branch, "needs to be dragged outside and SHOT!"

Grumbling, I climbed a tree and jumped towards a wall. I was now standing on a narrow ledge, trying to make my way to the other side. There was another ledge above me, though I wasn't sure why. The wall was too high to climb over. Shrugging, I continued to shuffle sideways, taking a moment to admire the view. Trying to stay alive in this world had done wonders for my fear of heights. I still wasn't really fond of high places, but at least I could move around without my knees turning into jelly.

Looking down, I couldn't help but admit that this place was actually... quite beautiful, in a haunting way. It was quiet up here, only the occasional soft breeze of wind disturbing the morning peace. With dread, I saw the sun slowly rising above the treetops, coloring the sky in pink and purple hues.

Looking at my stomach, I saw that the glow of my sand was now barely noticeable. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about that anymore.

'Unless I say something stupid and screw up again,' I thought, sweatdropping slightly. I tried keeping my composure, I really did. But every time I came eye to eye with a 'fellow' sand creature, all sense of sanity went completely out the window. My problem wasn't really that I said the wrong things, but rather that I said them out loud. If I wanted to make it out of here without being turned into sand creature shish kebab, I should probably stop doing that.

Being up here gave me a chance to think as I slowly made my way over the ledge. I started to wonder about stuff, like my body in the real world. Had I disappeared or was I lying in a coma? I didn't remember much of how I got here, only getting sucked into my tv, falling into a dark void and then somehow ending up in a portal room. What would happen if someone entered my room and turned off my playstation? Or maybe the game disk was already taken to Ubisoft headquarters for examination? What about the memory card? Were they and Sony going to send a rescue team? Cover it up? Blame global warming? Would dad remember to tape Will & Grace?

I sighed, trying to focus my attention on slightly more pressing matters. Like, not getting killed, for example. I glanced at my sword, wishing it was a laptop with internet access instead. The game layout was completely messed up, but there was still a wealth of information left that could come in handy. I had a pretty good idea of what I was up against in the Garden Tower, but I didn't have a clue about what was lurking in the rest of the fortress, let alone the Empress herself. Judging by the way her scantily clad welcoming committee had greeted us, she wasn't very fond of visitors.

Still, was that a reason to be so frikkin paranoid about locking your doors!? I could already hear her talking to Shahdee through the wall: "Oops, my throne room just caught fire from those cheap looking chandeliers that don't even belong in this game. Would you be a dear and activate the towers?" "Sure Empress, I'll get right to it! Just stay low, don't panic, and try to hold your breath for a couple of weeks."

Grumbling, I continued my trek while trying to remember everything I could. To be honest, I couldn't care less about Keepers, Raiders or other lame minions. There was only one enemy I was interested in at the moment and I think it's pretty obvious who that was.

When I was still _playing_ Prince of Persia, rather than trying to survive in it, I had a weird kind of love-hate relationship with the Crow Master. He was one of the coolest sand creatures in the game, but could also be a _very_ annoying pain in the butt. Every time you thought you'd seen the last of him, he would pop up somewhere else, unharmed and ready to take you down.

To be honest, I was almost wishing he'd show himself. It was eerily quiet up here and it was starting to get on my nerves.

"**And he's kinda cute****, if you squint your eyes a little."**

I started and nearly fell off the ledge.

"Who's there?!" I called, clenching the handle of my sword so tightly, my knuckles turned white.

The female voice snickered, obviously amused.

"**Little jumpy, aren't we?"**

I looked around wildly, my heart skipping several beats. The girl laughed and I suddenly realized that the voice was not coming from outside…

"**Oh, I'm not one of them, Alex…"**

A vision briefly flashed before my eyes. A human girl who could have been my identical twin, had it not been for her deep purple skin, golden eyes and malicious grin on her face. She chuckled evilly, and I would never forget what she said next:

"**I am _you_."**


	15. I did not say it like that!

**A/N: **I got the job! Woohoo!!! Show meh the moneyz! I managed to crank this chapter out today, even though I'm so nervous I can barely see straight. It's Sunday, and tomorrow is my first day of work… Eek!

**IMPORTANT:** English is not my native language. Though I'm getting better at it, I absolutely hate describing clothing, especially if the outfit is rather unusual. It wasn't necessary for this chapter, but it will be soon. So, to spare myself from a total linguistic meltdown, and because it's fun, I made a drawing of Dark Alex instead. It's still a sketch, but the shape and colors are there. Only thing wrong is the hair: it is black in the picture, but it's supposed to be the same color as her skin and flowing upwards. I will post the final, completed version soon, but in the mean time you can look at the preview to get an idea of what she looks like.

**www (dot) deviantart (dot) com (slash) deviation (slash) 58339381**

Or, you can just click the link in my profile page. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 15: I did ****not say it like that!**

"**I am **_**you**_**."**

"Oh, shit…" I started to panic. "It's finally happened! This god-awful place has finally driven me bonkers!"

"**Will you calm down!? It's nothing like that!"**

"Uh huh, sure it isn't, miss disembodied voice," I retorted sarcastically. "Next thing you know, you'll claim to be the reincarnation of some random deity and tell me to take off my clothes and run through the towers, wearing nothing but a tinfoil hat and a sign that says the world is coming to an end. I'm not buying it!"

"**For crying out… Look at your stomach, will you?"**

"Is that where the sign is supposed to go? Because, you know, I don't think they sell cardboard or sharpies around this…"

"**JUST LOOK ALREADY!"**

After making sure no one was watching, I pulled up my top and nearly fainted at what I saw. Because I felt alright and my clothes had returned to their original colors, I thought I was completely healed. However, there was a large gash across my stomach, right where the Crow Master had struck me with his sword. As if that wasn't gross enough, the wound was GLOWING, and surrounded by strange markings, which seemed to be glowing as well.

Feeling rather queasy, I quickly pulled my top down again and suppressed the urge to gag. Oh man… that was going to leave one nasty scar if I didn't find something to disinfect it.

"Hey, If you were an evil Empress of Time, where would you stash your booze?"

The voice groaned and I could almost see her smacking her forehead.

"**Cliché as it might sound, alcohol will not solve your problems,"** she said, almost tauntingly. **"You have been infected by the Sands of Time."**

"I _know_ that," I rolled my eyes, but she just laughed.

"**No, no, no… I'm not talking about your little Harem Girl charade."**

"Blade Dancer," I snapped, still embarrassed about having turned into one of the lamest sand creatures ever programmed.

"**You wish,"** the voice snorted. **"Prancing around in a ninja costume doesn't make you one of them, and it never will. But I digress… During your fight with our feathered friend, you were foolish enough to drop your guard and paid the price. His sword isn't made out of metal or wood. Like the Crow Master, it is forged from the sands by the Empress of Time herself. Why else do you think only sand creatures can use these 'secondary' weapons without breaking them after a few hits?"**

I blinked. It did make sense… how else could my own sword have lasted this long? It had taken quite a beating, but the blade was barely scratched. If only the same could be said for myself…

"**The Crow Master struck you with a blade created from the sands, but instead of bringing **_**you**_** death, it gave **_**me**_** life! And the poor chap doesn't even know it! Quite amusing, don't you agree?"**

"But… who are you?" I stammered, still confused and…well… very disturbed.

"**You really are clueless, aren't you?"** she sighed, as if talking to a five-year old. **"I am the yin to your yang, the night to your day, the darkness to your light. I am **_**you**_**."**

Right, let's recap for a moment: I get thrown into the most violent game from my entire collection, turn into a sand creature, almost get killed by basically everything with a pulse, _including_ the guardian of the frikkin timeline, and now I somehow had become corrupted by those blasted sands myself. Oh yeah, life just couldn't _possibly_ get any better than this.

Grumbling, I continued to shuffle over the ledge, but suddenly it started to tremble beneath my feet and a large part ahead of me, crumbled away. Apparently, the second ledge above me wasn't just there for decoration after all. Seeing no alternative, I climbed up and resumed course. I could see a platform in the distance, and hopefully it would easy sailing to the activation mechanism from there.

"**With your failtastic battle skills? Don't count on it."**

"No one asked _you_, Dr. Doom."

"**Oh please, call me Isra. And you might want to keep it down, people are trying to sleep."**

I looked at the ground below and instantly felt the blood draining from my face. Silhouettes, at least twelve of them, were lying on the grass, eyes closed. I wasn't sure if they were actually snoozing on the job or just taking a short break, but they hadn't seen me and I very much liked to keep it that way.

"**Ooh goody, cannon fodder!"**

"_More like nuclear warheads,"_ I thought back, slightly disturbed by the sadistic glee in her voice. Apparently, Isra wasn't just a corrupted version of myself, but also completely insane if she really thought I was going to disturb their nap.

"**Yes, you will."**

"_No, I wont."_

"**You know you want to."**

"_Oh yes, getting turned into chopped sand creature salad is at the top of my things-to-do list today. __Not__."_

"**Oh well, I guess since we won't be getting any action, I'll just have to find another way to entertain myself."**

"_You do that. Now leave me alone, I have to concentrate."_

"**I know a song…"**

My eyes went wide when she started singing: I knew that song as well. Oh, hell no…

"…**that gets on everybody's nerves!"**

"_Don't you dare!"_

"**Everybody's nerves! Everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves!"**

"_Stop it!"_

"**And this is how it goes!"**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!!!"

Almost immediately, the Silhouettes woke up from my scream and looked up at me with wide eyes.

"**Smooth..."**

I didn't have time to react, because the Silhouettes grabbed their knives and threw them, almost hitting me square between the eyes. It was a good thing they couldn't jump or I would've been dead thirty times over by now. I managed to duck just in time to dodge the next wave, but the ledge gave me little room to maneuver.

"Just like your own shadow, girl, you will never be free of me!" One of then hissed as he prepared to unleash another assault.

"**Don't just **_**stand**_** there like a deer caught in the headlights, use your sword! Block them!"**

Not able to think of a better plan myself, I followed my dark counterpart's advise and raised my blade. I didn't think: I just followed my instincts and let it flow. With barely any effort, I deflected the flurry of knives and moved a few steps sideways until the next wave. I continued like this: step, raise sword, block, step, raise sword, block, until I had made it safely to the platform.

"WOOHOO! Up yours, you psychopathic freak show rejects!"

Howls and shrieks rose from the abyss beneath me, and a large grin appeared on my face as I moon walked back and forth, struck a pose, and made the peace sign at no one in particular.

"**I hate to disturb you in the middle of your victory boogie, but I don't think they're making that god-awful noise out of disappointment."**

I peeked over the edge and barely suppressed a startle yelp. Standing on the ground below, was no one other than the Dahaka, and boy, did he look pissed. The strange thing was, that he hadn't seen me, but he was still killing the Silhouettes.

"_If he doesn't know I'm here, then why is he fighting the sand creatures? Technically, they're not standing in his way!"_

"**Unless... Perhaps he's after them as well?"** Isra mused, apparently just as confused.

"_You think they screwed around with the hourglass during an office party gone wrong?"_

Before she could respond, the Dahaka let out a victorious roar and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, without sparing me as much as a glance. Though I wasn't complaining, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, VERY wrong.

"**He **_**was**_** after them!"** my dark side stated, surprise evident in her voice. I couldn't help but notice she sounded almost cheerful.

"_Oh man... I think I'm gonna be sick..."_

"**You should be glad, this will save us a lot of trouble... What? Don't tell me you actually feel sorry for them? Or... perhaps you are worried about a certain someone, hmm?"**

"_What are you implying!?"_

"**You KNOW what I'm implying! Hehehe..."**

"_I DO NOT LIKE THE CROW MASTER!"_

"**Why not?"**

"_Why not? WHY NOT?! He's trying to KILL me, you dolt!"_

"**Sjeesh, aren't we picky today? Or maybe the problem is that you aren't attracted to men?"**

I went bug-eyed and nearly fell over.

"_WHAT?!"_

"**Oh come on, admit it already, we both know I'm right," **she snickered and started to impersonate my voice. **"Ooh, Shahdee, your armor looks like it has seen better days, teehee!"**

"I DID NOT SAY IT LIKE THAT!!!"

"Said what?"

I opened my mouth to retort, but suddenly realized that it wasn't Isra's voice I had heard.

Uh oh.

"**Oh dear, I do believe we have company."**

I turned around and smacked my forehead when I saw who was standing behind me.

Oh man, it was _way_ too early for this...


	16. What is she doing here?

**A/N: **Oh man… sorry to keep you waiting so long! I got a new job two weeks ago… and quit last Thursday. I'll spare you the details, but they're going to have to find another sucker to do their dirty work. Oh well, I get to work a paid "test day" at a kick-ass design agency that produces anything from simple newspaper ads to 3D presentations. Woohoo!!!

**P.S. **Rhea Hiryuu, I couldn't message you and I haven't seen any signs of life lately. I know you're taking a break from Dark Dreams, but are you still with us? Check your DA account for a note ;)

* * *

**Chapter 16: ****What is she doing here!?**

"EEK!"

Every synapse in my brain fused into a gooey mess when I turned around and suddenly stood eye to eye with Stumpy, aka Red, aka The Creepy Love Interest. She looked at me, one eyebrow raised in confusion. I knew it wasn't fair, but something about her made me feel really uncomfortable. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was something about her that was just… not human… She had yet to attack me or Prince, but my gut feeling told me not to trust her just yet.

"You're still alive?"

"Ah… yeah, I think so…" I stammered stupidly. Taking a closer look, I noticed to my relief that she wasn't carrying any weaponry, so at least she hadn't come here to kill me.

I hoped…

"**She could be carrying a switchblade under those robes,"** my dark self suggested. **"I say we frisk her! Full body search!"**

I nearly fell over, ignoring Stumpy's increasing confusion.

"_WHAT?!"_

"**You'd rather have her stab you in your sleep?"**

"_I'm not going to… to… EWW!!!"_

"**Oh, come on… She's cute!"**

"_No, she's __NOT__!"_

"**Stop being such a homophobe and get with the program. If you seduce Red here, you might swipe her away from Prince and he'll go running back to Farah in no time! Come on! Do it! Take one for the team!"**

"I AM NOT GOING TO STRIP SEARCH HER!"

"E-Excuse me?!"

I smacked myself when I realized I had said that last part out loud. The expression on Stumpy's face was… well, horrified as well as absolutely hilarious. If I didn't feel like such a moron, I probably would've laughed.

"Don't worry, it's okay," I quickly said. "I was just talking to the voice in my head."

"Right…" she looked at me warily, taking a step back.

"I'm not crazy! You see, it's like this-"

"**Don't."**

"_What?"_

"**Don't tell her. I don't know about you, but I don't trust that woman one bit."**

I stopped in the middle of my sentence and held my mouth shut. I hated to admit it, but for once, I actually agreed with my darker self. Something wasn't right here and a strange gut feeling told both of us that the less she knew about my encounter with the Crow Master, the better.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked her.

Stumpy sighed and a distant look appeared in her eyes as she sat down on the platform, her legs dangling over the edge. The sunlight reflected of her face, giving her skin an almost unnatural glow. A small smile graced her lips.

"This place is dangerous, but also… beautiful. I sometimes come here to relax and leave my troubles behind. Even if only for a little while."

Ignoring Isra's protests, I sat down next to her and enjoyed the soft breeze. She was right, this place _was_ beautiful. Then I suddenly realized what she had said.

"Troubles? Like what?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Hey, I've been sucked into a videogame, turned into a sand creature, chased by the guardian of time and forced to fight my way through a tower filled with Batman knows how many psycho Empress minions. Trust me lady, I don't just _understand_ trouble, I'm practically _married_ to it."

"You're a nosy one, aren't you?"

"Oh, hell yes."

She laughed, but didn't answer my question. Instead she looked at me, almost with pity in her eyes.

"If trouble follows you, why stay here? You should praise fate you got as far as you did."

"Yeah, well 'fate' wants my butt on a silver platter and the only way to get out off this mess, is to activate this frikkin tower."

Seeing not much harm in telling her this part of my story, I explained to her how her world was a videogame in mine, and my plan to get back.

"So, you think you can return to your world by 'finishing the game' and facing the Empress of Time?"

"That's the plan," I nodded and she shook her head.

"You cannot change your fate, no man can."

"Well, I'm no man, am I? Maybe messing with the Timeline is a woman's job?"

She smiled again, but more sadly this time.

"It's an interesting theory, but I don't think it works that way."

"Well, what am I supposed to do then? Leave and forget about ever going home? I don't have anything here! I don't know anyone but Prince and if he gets his royal ass kicked by the Dahaka, I'll have to survive on my own. Even if I somehow manage to get off this island and hide the fact that I'm not human, what am I going to do for a living? Computers don't even exist yet so about 90 percent of my skills are worthless, and like hell am I going to spend the rest of my life as a beggar. Yeah, my fighting abilities suck and I doubt I'll even make it through this tower alive, but I'd rather take my chances with the Empress of Time than join 'Hobos anonymous' and starve to death."

Stumpy didn't answer, but instead held her hands before her, as if she was carrying an invisible item. Sand whirled above them and slowly took shape, forming a sleek, long carved sword that shimmered briefly in the light of my glowing stomach. Since Isra had made her presence know, the glow had grown so bright that no amount of daylight could cover it up anymore.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked as she handed the weapon to me. There was an image of a lion engraved in the blade and it was much lighter than my old sword, cutting through the air with barely any resistance.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I guess half because you remind me of the Empress. Or who I wish she could be."

"What do you mean?"

"Like you, she knows her own fate. She has seen it in the timeline. But where you fight it, she has submitted. She accepts it. They say knowledge is power, but I say it is a poison. Knowing the date and manner of her own death torments her. The closer it draws, the greater her pain."

"And you want her to fight her fate, like me? Or at least… you know, try to?"

"Maybe it would give her something to live for."

"You said that was only half the reason. What's the other half?"

"I have known my whole life that what is written in the Timeline cannot be changed, yet something inside me wants you to succeed."

"So… you think I will?"

"No. But I admire you for trying."

I looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Gee, thanks… I think…"

We sat there in silence, when I suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, uhm… eh…eh…"

"Kaileena."

"Kaileena, do you know what the empress looks like? You know, just in case I survive and stuff?"

"I… cannot tell you."

"You've never seen her before?" I blinked, then crossed my arms and nodded. "I bet she's ugly as sin."

She almost fell of the ledge, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Well, think about it: the Dahaka is the Guardian of Time, right? And she's the Empress of Time, right? So, obviously she's like his sister or something!"

Kaileena's jaw dropped, her left eye twitching slightly. Her face turned so pale, I seriously worried for a moment that she would pass out right there and then.

"That is… disgusting…"

"Tell me about it," I shuddered. "And since she's a girl, I bet the environment will turn pink instead of sepia during an 'Empress Chase', and instead of Godsmack, you hear Britney Spears or Paris Hilton playing in the background!"

"Goodbye."

The woman quickly got up and started walking away, she suddenly seemed in a hurry to leave.

"What!?" I asked. "Was it something I said?"

"I must return to the hourglass chamber," she snapped, disappearing in a cloud of sand.

"Well, okay then… Thanks for the sword!" I shouted, though she probably couldn't hear me. I frowned, scratching my head in confusion.

"Man, what got into _her_ all of the sudden?"

**"****The will to live?"**

"What do you mean by…" I stopped in the middle of my sentence when the ground beneath my feet was suddenly drained of color and a dark shadow loomed over me. I slowly turned around, sweatdropping at what I saw.

This really wasn't my day…


	17. Curiosity killed the sand creature

**A/N:** This is quite possibly one of the most evil chapters I've written so far, hehehe (cackles madly)

Alex: do I even _want_ to know why she's laughing?

Isra: Probably not…

* * *

**Chapter 17: ****Curiosity killed the sand creature**

"Why is it that every time I look over my shoulder, there's always _something_ waiting there to kill me?!"

"**I****t might have something to do with the fact that you're trapped inside a videogame… NOW, RUN DAMMIT! RUN!!!"**

Barely dodging the Dahaka's lashing tendrils, I turned around and bolted like a leopard on sugar high. Or in other words: really, really fast.

"What do we do!? What do we do?! I haven't played The Two Thrones yet! I never even finished Warrior Within! I'M NOT READY TO DIE!!!"

"**Don't panic! Stay focused and…"**

I rounded a corner and froze when there was no more ground ahead of me. I found myself standing at the edge of a cliff with nowhere to go except down.

"_Now_ can I panic?!"

"**There's a ****tree right below you; jump and hide between the leaves!"**

"That's the dumbest idea I ever…!"

"**You can either hide ****and hope he gives up or take your chances running and pray there's a portal room nearby. With your craptastic stamina, I suggest we try blending **_**in**_** with the environment rather than getting caught and smeared all over it."**

I knew very well when I was being mocked, but I also knew very well when I was about to get the direct opposite of an organ transplant. There was usually somewhat of a distance between portal rooms and though I did pretty well the speed department, I doubted I had enough endurance to make it even halfway there before my muscles would spontaneously combust. Just before the Dahaka rounded the corner, I jumped off the ledge and fell into the treetop, holding back a string of profanities as leaves and twigs scratched my face before I finally landed on a rather thick branch that was strong enough to hold my weight. Or so I hoped, for the Dahaka jumped down from the cliff as well and was now standing right underneath me, it's haunting white eyes wildly darting left and right. I quietly scooted backwards to the base of the branch where the foliage underneath was more dense, praying that he couldn't hear my heart beating against my chest.

"_Well, __this__ was certainly a bright idea,"_ I thought sarcastically, leaning against the cushy, warm stem of the tree. I frowned when my corrupted counterpart stayed silent for a moment, not even bothering with a witty comeback or at least an off-topic pervert remark about my sexual preferences.

"_Isra?__"_

"**Trees don't **_**have**_** cushy, warm stems."**

"_T__-They don't?"_

"**No."**

You'd think I'd learned by now not to look behind me, but it is as they say: curiosity killed the sand creature. Slowly I turned around and felt all blood draining from my face when I saw what, or rather, _who_ I had been using as an avian backrest. Oh, batman on a hockey stick… out of the frying pan and into the scorching hot volcano of death.

"You know… we really ought to stop meeting like this," I whispered nervously in an attempt to somewhat lighten the mood, but the Crow Master had clearly gotten up on wrong side of the bed. He didn't answer, but just narrowed his eyes at me and slowly reached for his sword.

"Don't even think about it," I hissed quickly, making sure I only spoke just loud enough for him to hear.

"The sun has risen," he simply stated, poising the blade uncomfortably close to my throat.

"The sun can sing and dance for all I care, but I _like_ my head and it's staying where it is!" I whispered in a shaky voice, trying my best to hide my fear of imminent death and glaring back at him as threateningly as I could. "Look, captain trigger-happy, my battle skills might not win me any prizes, but I _do_ have a pretty good set of lungs. Want me to give you and our friend down there a demonstration?"

"Make a sound and the creature will find us."

"And I should care… why? Either I scream and he'll kill me, or I keep my mouth shut and let you finish his dirty work. I'm dead no matter what, but if you think I'm just going to sit here and take it, you seriously need to get yourself a CAT-scan. Maybe you're lucky and you can take me out before I use my vocal cords, but then again, it's an awfully big risk to take. So… how about it? Do you feel lucky, punk? Well? Do you?!"

I tried to ignore the cold blade that lightly brushed against my skin and defiantly looked him in the eyes, praying that he wouldn't call my bluff. The fact was that I didn't dare to let out anything louder than a whisper even if he _wanted_ me to. If I had to choose between a quick and hopefully somewhat clean death at the hands of the Crow Master or surrendering myself to the tender mercies of big, black and gruesome… well… the decision was quickly made. Of course, I still preferred Curtain Number Three: getting out of this mess alive and with all my limbs still attached. Surely that wasn't _too_ much to ask?

He stared at me intensely, as if trying to see inside my head. After what seemed like an eternity, he lowered his sword and sheathed it, a look of defeat briefly appearing on his face. At least, I think it did. He was wrapped in thin strokes of black-purplish cloth, covering most of his features. Sometimes you could see his mouth forming a smirk or his brow furrow, but only his eyes were left uncovered and for some reason, those struck more fear in me than even the deadliest of blades.

"Where do we proceed from here?"

I sighed, honestly not knowing the answer. He couldn't distract them by turning into crows: one screech and the Dahaka would lash out with his tendrils, most likely discovering me in the process as well, though I doubted the Crow Master cared about the latter. I glanced down and shuddered: the guardian of the timeline had been awfully quiet, but judging by the sepia hue of the lower leaves, was still standing there.

"This foul creature…" the avian demon started after a long and uneasy silence. "What is it? It has been sweeping through the tower like a black shroud of death, consuming everyone who dares to cross its path. Neither axes, maces or blades can hurt it and all who opposed it have failed."

"He's called the Dahaka," I answered grimly, "and he's the guardian of the Timeline. He's after Prince because he messed around with the Sands of Time and was supposed to die. I'm also on his hit list since I don't belong in this world, but I really have no idea why it's after _you_ guys."

"It is… pursuing us?"

I nodded, my expression turning dark.

"It's not like the Dahaka to go on random killing sprees. It is understandable if he kills you because you happen to stand between him and his prey, but he seems to be targeting you guys specifically. Just now I saw him slaughtering a group of Silhouettes without even _looking_ in my direction."

"You seem to posses a great deal of knowledge about this 'Dahaka' and yet you say you are not even from this world? I do not understand."

I sighed, deciding to tell him my story and about the game (though leaving out the part where I had to respawn at a save fountain thirteen times before finally figuring out how to kill him). Prince and Kaileena already knew, so I might as well tell the whole damn tower while I was at it.

"Your tale is… most odd," he frowned, obviously not believing a single word I said. He looked at me with narrowed eyes. "Why should I believe it to be true?"

"Kerena."

His eyes widened when I spoke the name of his blade. Though never mentioned in the game, I had read it on the Internet when checking out his character profile for weaknesses. Of course, there was no need to tell _him_, not while he still just barely seemed to grasp the concept of electricity and moving images on a screen.

Judging by the look of shock on his face, he finally believed my story, though I doubted it would make much of a difference. I wasn't even sure why I told him. I guess part of me just missed Prince, a fellow Dahaka runaway. Misery loves company and I needed to talk to someone who was in the same boat as I, even if said partner-in-crime was half bird and out for my hide.

I looked up at the sky through the hole I had created during my fall. Time flies when you're running for dear life and judging by the sun, it was already late in the afternoon. Suddenly, the tree shook and I almost fell off the branch. The Crow Master and I exchanged glances and both sweatdropped when we heard… snoring?!

"You've got to be kidding me," I whispered when we peeked through the foliage and spotted the Dahaka resting against the tree, his eyes closed.

"It appears he is asleep."

"I didn't even know he needed to do that… He could be faking it…" I looked sideways at the avian demon, raising one eyebrow. "Think we should call a truce and make a run for it?"

"A temporary alliance, until we are out of the creature's reach."

I nodded in agreement and waited for the Crow Master to make a move. However, he kept staring at me and suddenly, the penny dropped.

"Oh, hell no!" I protested hastily. "_You_ go first!"

"You are a female," he objected, motioning me to go ahead, but I violently shook my head and stayed put. Eventually, he gave up and with a sigh, silently let himself drop on a lower branch. I almost didn't dare to look, fearing that one of the branches would break and the avian demon would crash down right on the Dahaka's head. However, after a few minutes after he disappeared between the leaves, I heard him land safely on the ground with a soft thud. I gulped, knowing it was my turn now, and slowly started my descend.

"Alright, I can do this…" I whispered under my breath, as I began to climb down the branches, desperately trying not to think about the fact that if I coughed, sneezed or hiccupped now, it would most likely be the last time I had done so. Even Isra kept quiet, not daring to break my concentration. It was one thing to have me pick fights with random sand creatures, but even _she_ knew better than waking up giant sleeping black dogs with huge horns, slimy tentacles and one helluva temper.

I did my best to follow the Crow Master's path, but he was much taller than me and I was not able to reach all of the branches he had used, and thus, were strong enough to hold my weight. I lowered my feet on a rather thin one and froze when I heard it croak. I held my breath as the branch seemed to bend, but stopped halfway before breaking.

"Phew…" I sighed, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "That was a close…. AAAAAHH!!!"

As if I was trapped in a cartoon rather than a videogame, the branch suddenly snapped in two, sending me crashing through the treetop, before I finally came to a halt on one of it's stronger cousins. Thanking whoever was up there that the Dahaka had miraculously slept through all the racket, I resumed my way down, only to find something tugging at my shirt. I muttered various obscenities as I tried to free myself from the jagged branches, but the more I struggled, the more entangled I became in the clutter of twigs and leaves. Oh, dammit… this would _not_ end well.

"Make haste," the Crow Master ordered from the ground. "I wish to resume our battle."

"Well, good things come to those who wait, now don't they?" I hissed annoyed at his impatience, cursing under my breath when three more twigs got snagged in the fabric of my top. I was starting to become more than a little frustrated here, though not nearly as much as the avian demon waiting below.

"My patience is wearing thin, girl," he threatened, "You are stalling!"

"Look, I'm kinda… (ow, dammit!) caught up at the moment… (let go already!) so if you would just…(stupid...-censored-!) stop distracting…"

"You are trapped?"

"Yeah, so if you would just (grunt) gimme a sec and…"

"I shall assist you."

I blinked, when I heard him fly up and his hand came through the foliage, reaching for my leg.

"Hey, hold it, what are you planning to…. AAAARRGH! WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! MY SHIRT IS STILL STUCK ON THE…!"

Before I could finish my protest, the Crow Master grabbed my ankle and yanked me down, the sound of ripping fabric seeming to echo through the entire tower. Time seemed to crawl to a halt as I landed in his arms with a startled shriek, woke up the Dahaka, and all three of us froze when we realized that my top… was still up in the tree… and my outfit had not come with a bra.

"Eee…eee…eee…"

"r-ruoy-y… e-e-p-pacse-e... t-tonna-ac..."

"Eee…eee…eee…eee…eee…eee"

"I… ah…. I didnt know... I apolo…"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!"


	18. Crow

**A/N:** Chapter 18 already, I'm on a roll! I'm glad (and a bit surprised, seeing how English is not my first language) to see this story is such a hit! It's hard to believe it has 85 reviews already! All the feedback keeps me motivated to improve and write on, though, so don't be shy! Keep 'em coming! I've even started planning the sequel, though Gamer Within One is far from over yet!

**P.S. **There's a question I've been getting a lot: does Isra's name have a meaning? The answer: yes, it does! 'Isra' is a Persian name and means: 'Nocturnal Journey'.

* * *

**Chapter 18: ****Crow **

"I want to die."

"**No you don't."**

"Yes I do. Very, very badly. Where's the nearest spike pit?"

Isra sighed, and I could almost picture her rolling her eyes.

"**At least you managed to distract them long enough to get away, didn't you? I don't know **_**why**_** you keep complaining..."**

"THE CROW MASTER SAW ME NAKED!"

"**So did the Dahaka!"**

"And _that's_ supposed to make me feel better?"

"**Well, maybe, if you're into that kind of thing... It's a bit too kinky for my taste, though."**

I groaned and slumped down against a tree, pulling up my knees against my still bare chest and putting my hands over my head.

"**Look on the bright side,"** my corrupted self continued cheerfully. **"If you ever make it back home, maybe Ubisoft will make a trilogy out of your story! Princess of Persia: The Flasher of Time, Princess of Persia: Wardrobe Malfunction Within and of course, Princess of Persia: The Two..."**

"DON'T EVEN GO THERE!"

Isra snickered and I groaned again, burrowing my head between my knees and not even bothering to look up when I heard a familiar rustling in front of me and felt a pair of eyes looking down at my curled up form.

"If you've come to finish me off, don't bother. I'll just sit here and quietly die from embarrassment."

"The sun has set, I have no quarrel with you."

"Wow, nightfall already? Gee, that would explain the sudden chill, or maybe it just feels cold because I'm... oh, I don't know... SHIRTLESS?!"

I glared up at him from behind my knees as venomously as possible. Hell hath no fury like a female gamer scorned.

"It was not my intention to strip you from your garments."

I opened my mouth to retort, but froze when he reached for his sword that was fastened at his hip. Oh shit... had I gone too far and was he now going to strip me from my skin instead? I closed my eyes shut and prepared to scream my head off, but when nothing happened, I took a peek and blinked when I saw him ripping off one of the broader strokes of fabric that fell down from his waist.

"You may use this. I will not disgrace a woman."

I eyed him warily, but hesitantly took the piece of cloth from his outstretched hands.

"Thanks," I said, looking at him a bit sheepishly. "Eh... would you mind... uhm... you know..."

The avian demon got the hint and turned around, looking the other way while I got up and wrapped the fabric around my chest, fastening it with a hairpin. Since my disguise was pretty much worthless without the shirt, there was no need to keep my hair up a bun anymore. Unfortunately, my original Harem Girl hairdo closely resembled that of 'Cousin It' from the Adams Family and covered most of my eyes. I tried to somewhat comb it back with my fingers, but when it kept falling back into place, I gave up and used my sword to cut the front into bangs. Screw vanity, I probably already looked like a psycho ward runaway as it was.

"Are you decent?"

"Compared to most of the female characters around here... yeah, I guess so." I nodded and he turned around.

"Well...eh... I should get going," I said uneasy. "So... uh... see ya?"

The Crow Master didn't leave, but just watched me, as if waiting for me to make a move. Just what move that was, I had no idea. He had better not be hoping for a goodnight kiss... I sweatdropped at the thought and walked away, hoping he wouldn't follow. Of course fate laughed in my face as usual, and it wasn't long before I heard him quietly rustling in my footsteps. I picked up the pace and resumed my trek, only to hear him speed up as well and following close behind. This little game of cat-and-mouse continued until I was practically flying through the tall grass, in a failing attempt to lose him. When I realized that, ironically, this was going nowhere fast, I stopped to an abrupt halt and spun around.

"_Why_ are you stalking me?!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in exasperation.

"At dawn my loyalty lies with the Empress, at dusk my loyalty lies with you."

"Which basically means... you're going to stay at my side... whether I like it or not?"

He nodded and my jaw dropped, my brain still double checking the signals it had just received from my ears. When he gave me that loyalty speech back at the Portal Room, I didn't know I was supposed to take it literally! Yeah, I pretty much got the part where he promised not to cut my throat until sunrise, but apparently I also got myself a nightly bodyguard who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

Great...

"**What's with the terrified face? With all the screaming and fainting you've been doing lately, one would think you'd be glad to have a big, strong man to hide behind."**

"_Prince__ is a big, strong man. __The Crow Master__ is an evil sand creature who will kill me on the spot the minute the sun comes up!"_

"**Don't worry your pretty little head about that, Alex, I've got it all covered."**

"_What do you mean by that?"_

"**You'll see."**

"'_I'll see'? See what? Isra?!"_

She stayed silent, leaving me to guess. I did not like the tone of her voice at _all_. It was just like her personality: mischievous, a bit playful, but above all: dark. Oh well, I would worry about that later. She was probably just trying to get on my nerves again.

Involuntarily, I yawned, earning myself a rather questioning look from my nightshift ally.

"Rough day," I answered his unspoken question when he raised an eyebrow. "You know, naked Dahaka chase and all."

"If you are tired, you should rest."

I shot him a look that said 'do I _look_ like I'm stupid to you?' and determinately kept trudging on. No way in frozen over flying pig _hell_ was I going to sleep out here in the open. Not with the Dahaka still on the loose and a death penalty for sleeping in after sunrise.

Ignoring the increasing weight that seemed to be tugging at my eyelids, I climbed up a ladder and jumped to a platform where I found a pot of sand. I broke it, but much to my growing dread, nothing happened. What did I do wrong!?

"We are creatures of the sand as well as the flesh, and have some needs of the latter," The Crow Master explained when he saw me fruitlessly trying to absorb the golden cloud. I tried holding it in my hands, rubbing it onto my body and even taking a bite. Nothing worked, and particularly my last attempt, I do not recommend you try at home. Really, kids, don't do it: Sands of Time taste disgusting, cause headaches and will probably give you gas.

"Needs... like sleep?" I asked drowsily, almost stumbling over the edge of the platform. The Crow Master caught me, but with an indignant huff, I pushed him away.

"I can take care of myself," I protested, ignoring Isra's howls of laughter. "I'm not...eh...eh... what was I saying again?"

"You need to rest."

"No, I'm pretty sure that wasn't it... I was...eh... ahh... Oh, screw this, let me try eating some of that sand again. Maybe you're just supposed to put it under your tongue."

I looked in the pot, but there was nothing left. Oh well, it probably wouldn't have worked anyway. If sand-based sand creatures like Silhouettes required a nap every now and then, what made me, a human-based sand creature, think I could go entirely without?

"**Kickass survival skills? Oh, wait a minute, you don't have those."**

"_Shut up."_

"**Rude..."**

I sighed and sat down at the edge at the platform, looking out over the outside world below. At least... it looked that way. It was hard to believe we were actually inside a tower. The air smelled fresh, the sun rose and fell and the starry sky looked realistic enough to fool anyone who didn't know better. It didn't amaze me that Kaileena like this place. Still, it wasn't real and it never would be. The sun, moon and stars were nothing but a beautiful illusion, crafted by the Empress of Time. Still, it made wonder, if only for a brief moment: could someone who had given shape to such beauty, truly be evil?

The Crow Master sat down next to me, and shared the amazing view. Minutes long he just sat there in silence, while I glanced sideways at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. Was he counting down the seconds until sunrise? Having a weird telepathic conversation with the other sand creatures?

"**Picturing you naked?"**

I nearly fell over at Isra's perverted comment, drawing my silent bodyguard's attention.

"Hiccups," I quickly said, but he kept looking at me. Or rather... at my stomach.

"What is that?" the Crow Master asked, pointing at the glowing gash. He obviously didn't remember striking me there and I wasn't about to remind him.

"Long story," I yawned, fighting a losing battle to keep my eyes open. Fortunately, he didn't press the issue. For now, that was.

"What is your name, girl?"

I blinked at the unexpected question, vaguely realizing that I was resting my head against his side, but feeling too tired to really care.

"Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine."

"I do not have a name. The Empress did not deem it necessary to give me one."

"Then I'll just call you Crow, if it's all the same. It might not win me any originality awards, but at least it beats 'hey, you!'"

The avian demon stayed silent for a moment, seeming to think it over. Eventually, he nodded in approval.

"Incomplete, but sufficient. Now tell me yours"

"Alex. And if you say it is 'hardly fitting for a female', you _will_ get hurt."

"I shall try to remember," he said and though it was probably my imagination, I could've sworn I heard him chuckle. Whether it was friendly or mocking, I had trouble to decide. My mind was just too foggy. I just couldn't fight it any longer. I yawned again, and Crow looked sideways at me.

"Are you tired?"

"...yeah."

"Sleep then."

My eyes were closed before he even finished his sentence.


	19. Go get ‘em, tiger!

**A/N:** Thank you all for the reviews, I didn't have time to answer each one, but I will try!

* * *

**Chapter 19: ****Go get 'em, tiger!**

As the first rays of sunlight shone upon my face, I groggily opened my eyes, and blinked when I realized I was lying on a collection of red and purple pillows. I sat up and looked around: I was inside some sort of tent, standing in what appeared to be the middle of the desert. In the corner stood clay pots and the shelves were stacked with glass bottles, filled with questionable contents.

The fact that I had just woken up in the middle of nowhere, however, didn't nearly disturb me as much as the fact that I had somehow managed to regain my human form. My skin was no longer grey, but rather a healthy pink. Instead of jet-black, my hair was a murky blond again, and my blue eyes no longer glowed in the dark. I was also wearing my old outfit: a pair of blue jeans, sneakers and a worn-down grey sweater which I stubbornly refused to get rid off because it was just too darn comfy. Then again, if I had known I would end up in the middle of the freaking desert, I might have opted for a change of clothes.

"How the fuck did I get here, anyway?"

"Language, young lady," a voice behind me chided. I whirled around and suddenly, everything fell into place.

"Sorry," I mumbled sheepishly, my face so red I thought my head was going to explode. The Old Man smiled and sat down in front of me, pouring us both a cup of what tasted like herbal tea.

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I'm not nearly as freaked out as I should be."

The sage chuckled and sipped from his cup. I did the same, feeling oddly relaxed. Though his presence was a bit intimidating, it did not feel hostile. I was safe here.

"You should not have come to this place, my child."

I nearly spilled my tea, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Excuse me for not being able to control my dreams!" I protested, a bit offended. "If I was, don't you think I'd rather be out there eating chocolate and working on my tan at the pool of my luxurious playgirl mansion?"

"I was referring to the Island of Time."

"Oh… right, I knew that…" I muttered, drinking the rest of my tea and wondering if it was actually possible to blush yourself to death. The Old Man sighed and took my empty cup, staring intensely at the leaves.

"I'm afraid your future does not bode well."

"Well, as long as I _have_ a future, right?"

He looked up at me, his eyes saying more than enough.

"Oh, just peachy…" I sweatdropped, but then suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, wait a minute… I heard your voice before… when I got sucked into the game! It was you!"

"I saw your arrival in a vision and only wished to warn you. I am not responsible for your presence in this world and neither are you. Fate is something no man…"

"Ha!"

"or woman…"

"Darn…"

"can change."

"But… why warn me then?" I asked, confused.

"Your death is sealed, but your journey is not."

He suddenly took my hand, running a boney finger over my palm.

"There is darkness within every person," he said, "and the sands of time have given yours a voice."

"Isra…"

The Old Man nodded and his expression turned grim.

"Compared to that of the Prince, your life has been a comfortable one. Not filled with years of suffering, hardship and guilt. Therefore, she is still weak and easy to control. But your darkness is slowly beginning to grow. I can see it in your eyes, child. It feeds on anger, fear and pain of the body as well as the heart… Don't let it consume you."

"Wait… what? I don't get it!"

The Old Man just looked at me sadly and I froze as the environment lost its color. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Black smoke poured from every pore of his body and from the dark cloud they formed rose the Dahaka, it's haunting white eyes boring into mine.

"Etaf ruoy ehcahc tonnac uoy," was the last thing I heard, before I was seized by his tendrils and pulled into cold oblivion…

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" 

I screamed and jolted up, feverishly looking around with wide eyes. I was covered in cold sweat, my heart pounding wildly against my chest.

"**Nightmares?"**

"Like you don't know," I snapped.

"**No, actually,"** came a rather irritated reply. **"I **_**was **_**sleeping. Emphasis on**_** was**_**. And furthermore, I… uh oh…"**

"What?"

"**Alex, take a good look around and tell me what's wrong with this picture."**

I decided to humor her and inspected my surroundings. A look of horror spread across my face when I discovered I was in a Portal Room, realizing there were only two ways I could've gotten here. Memories from the night before came back to me and possibility one, sleepwalking, was appearing more and more unlikely.

"Isra?"

"**Yes?"**

"Please tell me last night was a bad dream, I did not fall asleep against the Crow Master's shoulder and he did not carry me here?"

"**Last night was a bad dream, you did not fall asleep against his shoulder and he did not carry you here."**

"Thank god…"

"**In opposite world!"**

I fell down animestyle, groaning as I got up.

"**At least he didn't kill you in your sleep?"**

"…"

"**Don't tell me you would've preferred the latter?"**

"… maybe…"

"**Oh, don't be such a drama queen and get on that portal. We don't have all day, and neither does Prince."**

"Wow, how about that?"

"**What?"**

"Are you telling me you actually care for someone else?"

"**Please,"** my dark self snorted. **"I'm merely acting in our own best interest. If Prince Testosterone activates the Clock Tower and gets back before we activate the Garden Tower, he'll only have to wait for the doors to open to play 'king of blades' and charge at the Empress without bothering to wait for backup."**

I realized Isra had a point there. I also realized that if Prince happened to get creamed, I would be as good as dead. If _he_ couldn't handle her on his own, there was no way _I'd_ even stand a chance.

"We'd better get moving," I agreed and was about to step onto the platform when I hesitated.

"**What are you waiting for? An handwritten invitation?"**

"What if… what if _he_ is waiting on the other side?"

"**Oh, for the love of…"**

"I'm serious! this is exactly how every horror movie goes: girl wakes up from nightmare, girl leaves bedroom, girl gets dismembered by giant vampire clowns from space. I'm not going!"

**"…"**

"It could happen!"

"**No, it couldn't. Now stop being such a wuss and get your butt into gear!"**

Grumbling, I stepped into the sand vortex, allowing myself to be transported to the past. A quick look around told me that the coast was clear. So far…

"**Do you **_**really**_** dread running into him that much?"** Isra drawled as I tiptoed towards the waterfall, my eyes darting left and right.

"I'll give you one guess" I muttered as I peeked around the corner and then quickly ran out into the open and dived behind a bush.

"**That's not going to help, you know. You'd be better of wearing it as a hat."**

I wanted to ask her what she meant, when I realized that if Crow was indeed looking for me, he'd probably do so from the skies.

"Argh!"

"**Don't panic!"** Isra snapped. **"Listen up: he obviously dropped you off here with the intention of giving you a head start, yes? So stop fooling around and use it!"**

I gulped, but nodded and sprinted across the open field, jumped onto platforms, climbed ladders and did wall runs without hesitation. Well… less hesitation than usual, that was.

Isra was always at my side, coaxing me forward and telling me what, and more importantly: what _not_, to do. Though I questioned her motives, I often caught myself being grateful for her company in this strange and dangerous place.

A clattering sound attracted my attention. I quickly hid behind a tree and looked ahead. Two keepers were patrolling the area, and unlike the Silhouettes, these guys had no trouble with morning shifts.

"Oh, great," I whispered. "How are we going to get past those?"

"**Terminator style, obviously. Hastalavista, sand creatures!"**

"Did someone drop you when you were little?!" I hissed, my eyes bulging out of my head. "It's two against one, you dolt! How am I supposed to beat them? Use harsh language?!"

"**It's no big deal, they're just Keepers, the easiest sand creatures in the game,"** Isra assured me. **"Now go get 'em, tiger! Swing that sword!"**

I eyed the duo nervously, keeping a firm grip on my weapon. I didn't like it, but it's not like I had much of a choice. Besides that, after facing the Crow Master and managing to at least defend myself, I had secretly grown a little more confident of my abilities. Yeah, I was outnumbered, but only two to one and they were just Keepers…

"Alright," I gulped, "I must be crazy for doing this, but I think… I think I might be able to take 'em."

"**Let's hope so, because if even one of them survives, he'll alert the whole damn tower and then your intestines will really hit the fan."**

"You're not helping," I muttered, narrowing my gaze. They were standing still and looking up at the sky. I had no idea why, but at least they were distracted. It was now or never…

"**Alright, this is it, on the count of three, we go. One… two…"**

"Wait, wait wait… do I attack at three or at go?"

"**Three,"** Isra sighed. **"Now, get ready: One… two…"**

"Two and a half… two and two third… two and three quarters…"

"**GO!!!"**

I stepped away from the tree, raised my sword above my head and prepared to charge in with a battle cry, when my blood ran cold as I suddenly saw what the Keepers were looking at. A flock of crows was approaching fast and landed at their feet, their eyes glowing menacingly as they dissolved into a whirlwind of feathers and sand.

"**Oh, shi… ABORT! ABORT!"**

I suppressed a startled yelp and scrambled back behind the tree, praying they hadn't seen me.

"_Just for the record: I blame you."_

"**We can bicker later, but for now, pay attention and stay out of sight! I don't think they spotted you, and it's probably a good idea to keep things that way."**

"_What happened to 'hastalavista, sand creatures'?"_

"**I enjoy ****a nice bloodshed as much as the next dark alter ego, but there is no way you can fight Big Bird **_**and**_** hold off those two goons at the same time. And though I know you don't care much for fashion, I read somewhere that an axe embedded in your spine is just sooo last season…"**

Sarcastic or not, I couldn't help but agree. I had barely survived my last two encounters with Crow and only because let me live. I had yet to actually land a blow, let alone defeat him. Add four more fists into the mix and you had my head on a silver platter if they discovered my hiding place.

Feeling like a real 007, I pressed my back against the tree and leaned sideways, taking a quick peek at the trio to make sure they hadn't seen me. Fortunately, it seemed like this was the case. Then again, my luck had a tendency to run out at the most inconvenient of times.

"Report," I heard Crow say to the keepers.

"No sign of the Prince or the girl," one of them answered, his voice distorted by the skull helmet all Keepers wore.

"The Prince has been sighted in the Clock Tower, our brothers will deal with him shortly," the other one said.

"And if his friend wishes to activate the Garden Tower, she will have to pass through here first." The first one boasted, and I temporarily lost all feeling in my legs when heard him sharpening his blade. Then the rest of my body went numb as well, when I hear the Crow Master's response.

"No need. You will leave and assist your brothers, I shall wait here and dispose of the girl myself."

'_Great…'_ I thought as I rubbed my temples trying to soothe an oncoming headache. _'__Now__ what am I going to do?!'_

* * *

**A/N: **I know you're all wondering: will we see Dark Alex soon? Will Prince return? Will that girl EVER make it out of the Garden Tower? Yes, yes… I know it might seem like I'm dragging this out, but it's for a good reason and essential to the development of the plot. Hang in there, it will all make sense eventually! 


	20. Fate’s dark hand

**A/N:** WOOHOO! The twentieth chapter! And it's the longest one yet! It's also one of the most important ones, which will hopefully make up for the shameless filler chapter I posted last time (smiles sheepishly).

Enjoy!

**P.S. **I'm not much of a songfic fan, but I found these lyrics when listening to my old CD's and it's almost creepy how well they match this story (though "the sun goes down" should be changed to "the sun goes up"). I just have to be all fangirly and share them, so I hereby present the official "Prince of Persia: Gamer Within" soundtrack!

**"Linkin' Park - Papercut"**

Why does it feel like night today?  
Something in here's not right today.  
Why am I so uptight today?  
Paranoia's all I got left  
I don't know what stressed me first  
Or how the pressure was fed  
But I know just what it feels like  
To have a voice in the back of my head

Like a face that I hold inside  
A face that awakes when I close my eyes  
A face watches every time I lie  
A face that laughs every time I fall  
(And watches everything)

So I know that when it's time to sink or swim  
That the face inside is hearing me  
Right beneath my skin

It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back  
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head  
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within  
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin

I know I've got a face in me  
Points out all my mistakes to me  
You've got a face on the inside too  
Your paranoia's probably worse  
I don't know what set me off first  
But I know what I can't stand  
Everybody acts like the fact of the matter is  
I can't add up to what you can but

Everybody has a face that they hold inside  
A face that awakes when I close my eyes  
A face watches every time they lie  
A face that laughs every time they fall  
(And watches everything)

So you know that when it's time to sink or swim  
That the face inside is watching you too  
Right inside your skin

It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back  
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head  
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within  
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin

the face inside is right beneath my skin  
the face inside is right beneath my skin  
the face inside is right beneath my skin

The sun goes down  
I feel the light betray me

The sun goes down  
I feel the light betray me

It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back  
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head  
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within  
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin

* * *

**Chapter 20: ****Fate's dark hand**

I pressed my back against the tree, trying to breathe as quietly as possible and hoping he would not hear my heart pounding against my chest. Crow didn't walk; he floated, which meant that I could not listen for the sound of footsteps coming closer. I was already standing here for half an hour, but I didn't dare to look again to see if he had given up.

"_I'm open to suggestions,"_ I thought a bit sarcastic to my darker counterpart.

"**Well, you could …"**

"_That do not include kamikaze attacks, screaming like an idiot or winking and making perverted comments about what he could be hiding underneath his robes."_

"**Oh, never mind then."**

I groaned mentally, trying to figure a way out of this mess. He still kicked my ass in the speed and stamina department, so trying to make a run for it was probably a bad idea. Turn back and look for a way around was also out of the question, since it meant leaving my hiding place and thus, sudden death.

"**It doesn't have to be."**

I sweatdropped. Did I even _want_ to know what she had in mind?

"**We could fight him, now that he's alone…"**

"_Which part of no kamikaze attacks did you not understand? The part where I get slaughtered in 0.5 seconds!? There's no way I can beat him!"_

"_**You**_** can't, but **_**I**_** can."**

I blinked at her strange response. I didn't have time to react, because a strange, tingling sensation suddenly overwhelmed me. Something dark started clawing at the back of my mind, as if trying to break free of it's restraints, and my skin flashed a deep purple, like I was about to transform into something else. I suppressed a gasp and fought back, quickly pushing away the darkness that threatened to take over my body. The gash and surrounding symbols on my stomach glowed briefly, almost as if I had angered them somehow, and I heard Isra let out a sigh of disappointment.

"**Damn… I thought for sure I was strong enough to break through by now."**

"_What… the… HELL_ _did you just try to do?!"_ I yelled in my head.

"**I was just trying to help,"** she said innocently, but I didn't buy it for one second.

"_Trying to help, my ass!"_ I barked at her. _"You tried to take over my body, you frikkin parasite!"_

The tension between us could be cut with a knife. Don't get me wrong, I knew Isra wasn't exactly a saint, but I still felt betrayed somehow. As time went by, I had grown accustomed to her company and often valued her input. She was almost like a friend, the only one I could talk to when I felt lost in this strange and hostile world. But that was over now. It hadn't lasted long, but for a few seconds, I had sensed it: pure evil. Isra only had the cruelest of intentions and the darkest of desires and I would not be a part of it.

"**You think that now,"** she reasoned silkily, **"but will you still when you feel the Crow Master's sword pressed against your neck? I could give you power, Alex. Speed! Strength! Skill! All you have to do, is let me."**

"_No fucking way,"_ I snapped and I could almost hear her growl. _"It was a mistake to even __think__ about trusting you. You're evil, Isra. The jig is up."_

I angrily crossed my arms and shook my head. I could not believe she'd turn on me like that. I felt angry, miserable and used. Well, screw her, I didn't need her help. I'd make it out of here on my own. I gathered all my courage and took a quick peek from behind the tree. Crow was still standing there, his back turned to me. I sweatdropped: didn't that guy ever _move_?!

_About five minutes later…_

How long had I been standing here now? One hour? Two? Twelve? My legs were getting tired and I was beginning to lose feeling in my feet. Worst thing, however, was that I was beginning to get extremely bored. I even caught myself considering to just rush at him and hope for the best.

Sigh…

I stretched my muscles and yawned, scratching the back of my head when I froze as I realized what I had just done. My hand flew up to cover my mouth and my heart skipped several beats. Oh shit…. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! What if he'd heard me?! What if he knew I was here?! What if…

I calmed down slightly when I didn't hear anything along the lines of 'rise up, girl' or any other signs of impending doom. I gulped and leaned to the right, stealing another quick glance, only to see an empty platform. I rubbed my eyes, not believing my luck. Could it be true? Had he really left? Sweet!

I grinned, but froze when I realized something: I hadn't heard any rustling, so he couldn't have turned into a flock of birds. He also didn't have enough time to just walk/float ahead far enough to disappear out of view between 'peeks'. I considered these facts and came to an awful conclusion: if he hadn't gone ahead and did not chance to his avian form, there was really only one place he could've have gone, wasn't there?.

Oh, marvelous…

"EEEEEEEKKK!!!"

My eyes grew big as dinner plates and with a startled shriek, I barely managed to dodge the blade that came slashing down at me from behind. I whirled around and backed away, looking at my attacker with a scowl.

"Well, good afternoon to you too!" I protested loudly when Crow raised his sword and continued the assault.

Acting more on instinct than anything else, I raised my own weapon and winced at the sound of our clashing blades. The Lion sword was an awesome piece of asskicking equipment, but giving me a high quality blade and expecting me to win, was like giving expensive art supplies to a dead ferret and expecting it to paint an exact replica of the Mona Lisa in 3D.

"The sun has…" he started, but I rolled my eyes and cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah… sunrise, loyalty, die by my hand, blahblahbla, I know the drill," I said, sounding somewhat disappointed. Which was bad, since I was going for sarcastic, yet cool and aloof. Even worse: I actually _felt_ a spark of disappointment.

Whoa, hold it! Time out! This was Prince of Persia, not the Wizard of Oz! I hadn't really expected him to stay friendly and join the good guys, had I? No, of course not!

A small part of me had hoped so, though… Just so he wouldn't keep attacking me when I already had enough to worry about. That's it. No other reasons. I swear.

"You keep telling yourself that…" a small voice (not Isra, for a change) in the back of my head said, but I pushed it away. This was no time to think about stuff like that. I had to fight. I had to stay focused. I had to somehow survive until sunset!

"**So you can cuddle up and take a nice nap against his shoulder?"**

I nearly fell over, the Crow Master's blade missing my head by only a hair.

"_Would you mind!?"_ I hissed mentally, evading yet another swing. _"I'm kinda trying not to die here so I really don't need any more distractions!"_

"Girl, your face is red. Why is that? Are you ill?"

"I…ah…ehm…uhm… I dunno…" I blabbered like an idiot while Crow just arched an eyebrow and looked at me like I had some kind of contagious disease. Oh, I hated her, I hated her, I hated her…

"_Isra?"_

"**Yes?"**

"_If we make it out of here alive, I'm going to kill myself just to spite you."_

"**Emphasis on 'if',"** she smirked when I boldly charged at the Crow Master, but tripped over a rock and fell flat on my face. **"In case you haven't noticed: **_**you**_** suck at fighting and **_**he**_** does not. **_**I**_**, on the other hand…"**

"_Forget it. You can play 'invasion of the body snatchers' somewhere else, but I can take care of this myself."_

"**Uh huh…"** she said dryly when I reached for my dropped sword, but yelped and cursed in at least twelve different languages when my hand found the blade instead of the handle.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" I jumped up and panicked at the sight of red drops spilling from my palm. "Medic! Medic! Woman down!"

"You, girl, are pathetic," Crow sweatdropped.

"Screw you, I'm bleeding! Do you have any idea how sharp those things are!?"

"Yes," he answered while raising his own weapon. Oops, that's right, we were fighting. Oh, bugger…

"Defend yourself," he ordered, but I was slightly surprised at the tone of his voice. It wasn't menacing, or even stern. It was… plain. Just… plain. Not amused like the raiders, or sadistic like the Blade Dancers. I don't really know why, but this struck me as rather odd. He was created by the Empress, right? So if me was just another one of her minions, then why was he so… so… different?

My lapse in concentration cost me dearly: Crow took a swing at my head, causing me to startle and lose my balance. I fell flat on my back, but was not given the time to jump back to my feet. I barely managed to raise my sword and assume blocking position before he moved in for the final blow. Our blades clashed and I realized I was trapped: I couldn't roll to the side without lowering my defense, and I wasn't strong enough to push him away.

At this point, the Dahaka usually showed up, forced us to form a truce and we'd have a couple of awkward conversations and an embarrassing moment or two before going our separate ways. However, the Guardian of the Timeline apparently was on strike, since the shrubbery was still green as ever and the only sound that echoed through the tower were my occasional panicked yelps when I lost another few centimeters of personal space between his sword and my head.

I had seen the face of death. I had looked it in the eyes. Now, we were all but making dinner plans. I had to think of something fast or I pretty soon I wouldn't be doing any thinking at all!

"Can't we settle this some other way?" I squeaked nervously. "A game of chess? Mahjong? Dance Dance Revolution?"

Crow just shook his head.

"This ends here," he stated and I gasped as the force I was struggling against seemed to double. Slowly but surely, his blade came closer and closer to my face and still Prince, Kaileena or even the Dahaka were nowhere to be seen. I was alone…

"**You still have me…"**

"_No."_

I grunted as I used every last bit of strength I had left, but the avian demon would not relent. No matter how hard I pushed, he still had the upper hand and the sword was now dangerously close to my skin. I couldn't fend him off…

"**Alex…"**

"_NO!"_

Closer and closer, the blade merciless continued its descent. It was a matter of seconds now and I closed my eyes shut, bracing for impact.

"**Let me take over!"**

"_NO!!! I won't do it! I won't give in to you!"_

"**IF YOU DON'T LET ME TAKE OVER YOU WILL DIE!!!"**

Die. That word jumpstarted my brain. I had come close to dying, but never like this. Not even when I was caught by the Dahaka's tentacles, not even when Prince tried to strangle me. My thoughts turned to my life at home that was now put on hold. My friends… my family…

Dad…

No, I couldn't do this. I couldn't let myself be killed. I couldn't let everyone down!

Something deep, deep inside me finally snapped. Like someone had opened the floodgates in my mind, I was overwhelmed by emotions. Anger! Sadness! Rage! I REFUSED TO DIE!!!

The Crow Master was thrown back as my body was suddenly engulfed in a violent explosion of smoke and feathers. My skin turned dark purple, almost black. A stream of strange, golden symbols spread from the wound on my abdomen, circling down my left leg and up to the right side of my torso, my back, around my neck and then stopping above my left eye. My arms were wrapped in strokes of purple cloth, that was a few shades lighter than my skin, the ends hanging loose and fluttering in the wind.

Another piece of cloth hang down from a small chain around my neck, covering my chest like some sort of odd necklace (A/D: like Kaileena's top in the Two Thrones), leaving my back and my stomach bare. My skirt consisted of broader pieces of cloth that reached past my knees when hang down, though they seemed to float somewhat. My feet and lower legs were wrapped smaller pieces of cloth, leaving my toes unprotected, though for some reason this didn't bother me.

My eyes now glowed, much like the symbols, and my hair now consisted of dark wisps of smoke that defied all laws of gravity. However, what most disturbed me, was that my outfit looked like almost an exact replica of the Crow Master's, and even came with an exact replica of his sword. (A/N: for a picture, go to my profile for a link to a preview for an illustration I'm working on)

"**Don't be surprised, he was the one who infected you. It's only logical that my form is somewhat… inspired by his looks,"** Isra said, but I didn't hear her: I just looked at Crow… and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

He barely had time to blink before I uppercut him on the chin, which was quite a feat considering our height difference. To be honest, I was barely aware of my transformation, blinded by anger. I don know what the hell was wrong with me, but I had completely lost my marbles. Shrieking like a banshee, I charged at the avian demon and unleashed a flurry of attacks, most of them he failed to block. I was merciless in my onslaught, my vision red and my mind clouded by a desire to fight! Hurt! Maim! DESTROY!!!

"**Doesn't feel too great, huh? To be on the receiving end of that sword?"** I hissed in an unearthly voice that wasn't my own, grinning madly as I moved in for the kill.

Crow was obviously still in shock, because he didn't put up much of a defense. Or maybe I was just too fast. It was hard to tell, especially since I had lost all ability to think straight. I was drunk with power and all I cared about was showing the entire tower who was boss. Killing their current head honcho ought to do the trick just perfectly. After that, I only had to rid myself of a certain Empress and then NO ONE would dare to stand in my…

"ALEX!"

I froze in place when he called my name. He always called me 'girl' or something like that. To hear him actually addressing me properly… well, it felt rather awkward.

Alex… that was my name, wasn't it? I wasn't supposed to look like this, was I? What was happening? What was I doing? This wasn't me… was it?

"**Hey…"** I whispered hoarsely, blinking my clouded eyes and slowly coming back to my senses. **"What's… what's going on?"**

The answer I received, was a forceful blow to the head. Now fully snapped out of my daze, I skidded over the platform on my shoulder and crashed to a halt against a tree. If I had been human, I probably would've broken a few ribs. Groaning, I got up and took a few staggering steps away from my attacker. Only now, my new form slowly started dawning on me.

**"No way…"** I mumbled as I looked at my purple black hands. Crow, as I judged from the look on his face, was equally surprised. At least… he used to be. Something in his eyes was changing, from shock to…what was it? Anger? Uh oh…

"You are mocking me," he narrowed his gaze. Oh, he wasn't angry. He was downright pissed. And trust me, _no one_ wants to fight a pissed off Crow Master.

"**What do you… **_**NO!**_**"** I quickly protested when I realized what he meant. Both here and back home on my screen, I had seen groups of sand creatures. Raiders, Keepers, Blade Dancers and even Silhouettes. However, I had never seen two or more Crow Masters. When still playing the game, I had always wondered if there were really more of them, or if I was always fighting the same one. Apparently, the latter was true. Crow was one of and kind, probably felt quite bad about this, and now here I was, rubbing it in his face by dressing in feminine version of his outfit that came with an exact replica of his sword. Oh god…. ohgodohgodohgod…

"**Look, I know it looks like I'm playing some kind of cruel joke on you,"** I rambled, waving my hands in front of me, **"but I'm really not, though you might think I am and… hey wait a minute, why the hell am I apologizing?! This is all your fault! You're the one who infected me with the sands of time!!!"**

"Explain yourself, girl," he said in an eerily low voice. I scowled at him and pointed at the glowing gash on my stomach.

"**Does THIS ring a bell?!"**

He looked at the wound and slowly but surely, something in his mind seemed to click.

"**That's right,"** I answered his unspoken question. **"Two people entered that Portal Room, but three people emerged. Somehow, the sand from your sword gave shape to my so-called dark side. She even has a name and at the moment, is trying to convince me to rip off your head and laugh evilly while doing so."**

"Her name is Isra."

"**Yes, her name is… HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW THAT?!"** I exclaimed and he just raised an eyebrow.

"You kept saying it while you slept."

"**Kept saying it while I…"** I trailed off felt all blood rushing to my head when memories of that night flashed before my eyes. Oh, he just _had_ to bring that up, didn't he?

"I… did not know such a thing was possible," he said, sounding almost regretful.

"**Well, now you do,"** I put my hands on my sides and glared at him. **"So, how do you plan to fix it, huh?"**

"We will do battle."

My jaw dropped and I fell over animestyle, arms and legs twitching. Sand creature or not, men were all alike!

**"I see your proposition for even more violence and raise you a DO YOU HAVE EGG YOLK FOR BRAINS?!"**

"The sun will not set for another two hours," he narrowed his eyes while raising his blade. "I will rid the Island of your presence before then, and perhaps the Empress vision will not turn into a reality."

"**Vision?!"** I yelped as I blocked his attack and pushed him away. To my own surprise, I actually succeeded. This new body gave me much more strength than I could even have dreamed of. I had to fight back another rush, afraid that I might lose myself a second time. I refused to let this new found power consume me again. I would control the darkness, not the other way around.

"The Empress came to us with a dreadful message. Ever since you arrived, she has been experiencing frightening dreams. Visions of a dark creature, a shadowy figure that would one day take her life. As long as my loyalty lies with the Empress of time, I will not allow this to come to pass."

"**Do I LOOK like a killer to you!?"** I protested futilely as he advanced on my still transformed form. **"Isra might be a total nutcase, but she's **_**not**_** in charge here! **_**I**_** control this body and don't want to hurt the Empress! I don't want to hurt anyone, unless it's self-defense! I just want to go home!"**

"Perhaps you indeed do not wish her harm," he said, dismissing my plea and slowly stalking closer. "But if the timeline commands it, the empress will still die by your hand if I do not prevent you from reaching her. You cannot change your fate. No one can."

"**Maybe you're right, Crow,"** I started as I readied my own weapon and took a fighting stance. **"Maybe my little road trip through the tower is pointless and there really is no use in fighting fate. But you know what? I sure as hell can try!"**

With that, I took one last swing with my own Kerena blade and broke through his defense. Screeching loudly, he dispersed in a cloud of feathers and reformed on a higher platform, looking down at me with you'll-pay-for-that written all over his face. But I wasn't going to wait around for him to come back: I shot him one last glare, and ran the other way, disappearing out of view.

I had a tower to activate.


	21. Point of no return

**A/N: **It took me a bit longer than usual to update, but I think this chapter makes up for it ;)

Read and review!

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**Chapter 21: Point of no return**

"**Come on…"**

"No."

"**Admit it…"**

"NO."

I heard my other half sigh and for some reason I just KNEW she was grinning.

"**You're not fooling anyone, you know…"**

I groaned, barely resisting the urge to slam my head against the wall of the portal room I had entered after my fight with Crow. The moment I had passed through the watery curtain, my strange transformation was suddenly reversed, and I turned back to my old self again.

_Almost._

The symbols on my stomach were spreading and the skin closest the wound had remained purple. Not only had my transformation left traces on my body; my mind was tainted as well. Isra's voice was louder, confident and much more difficult to ignore. I could feel her clawing at my confused mind, trying to weasel her way back to the surface and take control once more. I refused to let her, but found it increasingly harder to do so. Not only was _she_ growing stronger, but _I_ was growing weaker. As my dark side, Isra fed of the things that drained me of my mental strength. Fear… anger… and pain.

_Non_-physical pain, that was. Though different as night and day, we were still two halves of a whole and shared the same body. If I would happen to kick the bucket, she'd die as well. Isra wanted power and bloodshed, I wanted to just get back home. We had one goal in common though, and it was staying alive for longer than five minutes. This shared wish led us to form an uneasy cease-fire, though she could not resist taunting me every now and then.

"**If you don't like him, then why didn't you get rid of Crowsiepoo?"**

"First of all," I gagged, "don't use that nickname EVER again. It seriously makes me want to hurt myself and set fire to random objects. Secondly: I won't fight unless I absolutely have to and you know that."

"**I know that he will recover and chase after us!"** my dark side exclaimed annoyed. **"It only takes three battles in a row to kill him. You already took the guy down one time, but instead of growing a spine and finishing what you started, you're allowing your enemy to gain his strength back and attack us at full health!"**

"He's not my enemy now," I countered absentmindedly, gazing through the waterfall at the evening sky. The sun had just set and I couldn't help but wondering if he was alright. The minute that fleeting thought entered my mind, my eyes bulged out of their sockets and I mentally smacked myself in the face. Where the hell did THAT come from?!

"**It's the game,"** Isra answered, a hint of sudden realization and worry in her voice. **"It's starting to mess with your head."**

"Really? I thought it was called 'Warrior Within', not 'Isra, pain in the butt'."

"**Hilarious. Now take off those pink glasses and focus: we all agree that you're trapped inside a videogame, right?"**

"Yes," I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"**And we also agree that this world is far different than what you're used to and has strange rules of it's own?"**

"Wait a minute, do I even _want_ to know where this is going?"

"**Probably not, but I'll tell you anyway: Prince and Farah used to hate each other's guts, but called a truce, fell madly in love and most likely would have gotten married if it had not been for 'The Grand Rewind'. All of this happened in just a matter of days. Unlikely in the real world? Hell yes. Unlikely in a videogame? Don't count on it."**

"No way… you don't think… No, that's ridiculous!" I protested quickly. "I'm not going to… EWW!!!"

"**Let's face facts, Captain Clueless,"** Isra snapped, **"all the ingredients are there: you have a truce. Only at night, but still a truce. There is also the Dahaka as your common enemy, and his vow to protect you binds you two together as travel companions. I can't believe I didn't see this coming before… then again… I **_**am**_** part of you…"**

"Oh shit…" I whispered with wide eyes when I realized that she was right. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!!! What do I do!? What do I do?! I can't let that happen! Not during the day at least…"

"**But you wouldn't mind a nightly romance?"**

"…"

"**Uhm, Alex? Hon? This is the part where you fall down animestyle and scream something along the lines of 'Eww, gross!!!' or 'What!? He'll kill me, you dolt!',"** Isra commented dryly, but I was lost in thought.

A romance? With one of the Empress' minions? Was that even possible!? Even if the videogame rules applied to me, and it was possible to develop… feelings… for one of your worst enemies in just a matter of days, was there even a slight chance that sparks would fly between us? Prince and Farah used to be enemies, but did they truly want to _kill_ each other? I didn't believe so.

Also, let's not forget the fact that they were both human, a very important factor in the Prince of Persia universe. That is… I had never seen Prince or Farah ogling one of the sand creatures, let alone the other way around. Okay, the monsters from the first game were brain-dead morons who could do nothing but grunt and snarl, but still… If something were to bloom… I knew it would be a one-way relationship.

I looked like a sand creature, but I still had a human heart. I was capable of falling in love, and if I wasn't careful, the game would make sure it happened.

No… that wasn't true… the game couldn't _make_ me develop feelings for someone. It could only speed up an already existing process, so players wouldn't have to wait around for months or even years before something finally happened.

But again, this was between humans. Crow was _born_ a sand creature, and though he was capable of experiencing emotions, I doubted the Empress gave him the ability to feel affection. The more time I spend with him, the greater the risk my embarrassing, though relatively harmless crush would change into something more… However, _his_ feelings towards _me_ would probably remain the same, and they were far from romantic.

"I'm so incredibly screwed…" I moaned to myself, slumping down against the wall and resting my head on my pulled up knees.

"… **suggest you wait until… Hey! Are you even listening?!"**

I started and bumped my head against the stone surface, letting out yet another string of profanities. If my character was ever made canon, the rating of the game would most likely go through the roof and directly into orbit.

"**You were thinking about big bird again, weren't you?"**

"I was not!!!"

"**Then what **_**were**_** you thinking about?"**

"…Going vegan…"

"**ALEX!!!"**

"Argh! I can't help it!!! It's the _game_ that makes me do stuff! Totally not mental disorders or bad parenting…"

"**You should've killed him when you had the element of surprise,"** Isra scowled. **"Now I suppose we'll just have to settle for killing him in his sleep."**

"No, we bloody hell will not!" I yelled, outraged. "I _do_ have a sense of honor you know, even though it isn't much!"

"**All is fair in love and war,"** my dark side tried to sway me. **"Or both, in your case…"**

"Sorry, Isra, no can do," I shook my head and crossed my arms in protest. "I'll run if I can and fight if I have to, but I won't stoop _that_ low. He wouldn't either… I think."

"**And if he was just a Raider who suddenly fell asleep during in the middle of an attack? Would you've struck then?"**

I wanted to retort, but sweatdropped when I realized that I probably would have done so. Uh oh…

"**Ha! I knew it!!!"**

I didn't know whether to defend myself, or laugh at the idea of HIM being at MY mercy. Yeah, like THAT was ever going to happen…

Still, Isra had a point. Crow, like me, had two sides. One of them vicious and thirsting for blood, the other protective and… well… actually quite friendly. I loathed his day personality, but caught myself growing fond of the nightly version, that also tended to emerge when the Dahaka showed up. However, they were both part of the same whole and killing one would also mean killing the other. I couldn't afford to get attached and hesitate during a fight, or it would be my last.

No, it would be better if I spend the night alone and not give this awkward crush a chance to further…

"Delaes si etaf ruoy!"

I looked at the waterfall, sweatdropping at the booming voice that was followed by a couple of loud screeches and the sound of pots and vases violently being thrown around and shattering into pieces.

"Hey, keep it down out there!" I yelled, getting up and shaking my fist. "Some people are trying to slee…"

I was cut off when a feathered dark blur suddenly whizzed through the curtain and hit me square in the face. A few others plowed into my chest, making me fall flat on my back. The dazed birds didn't seem to realize where they were had landed and, still on top of me, changed back into the Crow Master.

"The Dahaka…" the avian demon mumbled weakly, his head obviously still spinning from the effects of the water. "It has…"

"Uhm… Crow?"

"Yes?"

"GET OFF ME!!!" I shrieked, shoving him away. Oh man… his face had been only centimeters away from mine…

I quickly turned away, hoping he wouldn't notice how my head more and more began to resemble a tomato. Oh Buddha, I needed a cold shower. I needed a cold shower BAD.

Come on Alex, snap out of it! Think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy…

"AkahaD eht epacse tonnac uoy!"

The guardian of the timeline let out a loud roar, and I jumped out of my skin, right into Crows arms.

"EEEEEEEK!!!"

The Dahaka glared at us, but there wasn't anything he could do from the other side of the waterfall. With a last aggravated growl, he finally gave up and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

"Girl…"

"Yeah?"

"Let go."

I blinked and flushed bright red when I realized I was still clinging to his arm like some kind of freaked out koala.

"Eep! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" I yelped, jumping away as if bitten by a rattlesnake. I was gonna die… I was SO gonna die…

"… 300 have fallen."

I snapped out of it and sweatdropped when I realized he had been talking the whole time. Come on, Alex, deep breaths. Don't Panic… keep cool… relax… focus…

I sighed, and did a few breathing exercises until I felt I had sufficiently calmed down. Taking one last breath of air, I turned back to Crow. Now that he had found me, I doubted my nightly bodyguard would let me out of his sight, so I had no choice but to keep my hormones in check and stick it out. How hard could it be? For crying out loud, I wasn't really _in love_ with the guy, was I? No! Of course not! He was a minion of the empress! A mindless drone! He was just a sand creature!!!

"Eh… sorry," I asked sheepishly. "Were you saying something."

"300 of us have…" he trailed off and gave me an odd look. "Are you not well?"

"I'm fine! Really!" I yelped, trying my hardest to stop blushing… which everyone knows will only make it worse. He was just a sand creature… it's the game… Alex, get a hold of yourself!!!

Crow eyed me suspiciously, but decided to continue talking.

"300 of us have fallen at the hands of that demon. It has no honor and will not even hesitate to strike its victims while they are asleep."

"In… their sleep?"

"Yes. It is detestable."

"_The minute he leaves, I'm going to sing and do my 'I told you so' dance… the techno remix version."_

I suppressed a smirk when I heard my dark side grumble and focused back on Crow.

"Any idea why? I mean… did you guys fool around with the timeline?"

"Perhaps indirectly, we have."

My eyes widened slightly and we sat down at the edge of the platform, the golden sands swirling behind us in a magical vortex that formed a passage through time itself.

"You told me… this world… is nothing but a game in yours?" Crow asked and I nodded.

"Yes, but I haven't finished it though. I only made it halfway through this tower."

"You controlled the game, but your avatar was the Prince, am I correct?"

"Yup! He used to be my own little puppet on a string," I said with a fox-like grin, but his face remained stoic as always.

"Tell me…when encountered… what happened to… us…?"

"Well, assuming the game didn't glitch on you, really cool rock music started playing and…" I trailed off and sweatdropped for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. "Uhm… well… there wasn't really a stealth option… so… a player had no choice but to… you know…"

"I understand," he said, his expression unchanged.

"For what it's worth… It took me three hours and a bazillion tries to get past you. In gameplay terms, that's only one step away from eternity," I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. Ugh… I felt so guilty… it was a lot less hard to kick his butt on screen, when I didn't have to deal with a real… person.

No! Not a person! A _sand creature_! He was only a sand creature! No matter how buddy like we got now, it wouldn't make a difference once the sun rose! He would still try to kill me and I would have to kill him! It was eat, or be eaten! I couldn't let down my guard!

"This explains it then," he continued, cutting short my inner conflict.

"What do you mean?"

"Girl, how many of us have fallen by your hand?"

I frowned, counting on my fingers.

"Lemmesee… I pushed one Raider into a spikepit, though he did hold a knife against my neck so you can't really blame me for that… Then there was another Raider, though technically I wasn't the one to cut off his head… Oh, and I think I killed a bird. That's about it, I guess… Wow, I suck…"

"If the timeline had not been disrupted, we most likely would have met our demise at the hand of the Prince of Persia. Instead, you got send to our world and entered this tower with the intent of saving him the effort."

"I took over this part of his quest, but without the killing… And now the Dahaka is after you to finish the job," I whispered, the pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place. The sand creatures were meant to die at Prince's sword, but because we decided to split up, he never entered the Garden Tower. Because of me… the Empress' minions had cheated death… and now the guardian of the timeline was after _them_ as well.

"**See? There's no use in playing goodie-two-shoes and sparing them. Do it! Kill him now!"**

"SHUT UP!!!" I yelled and Crow looked at me I had just smacked him in the face with a fryingpan.

"I wasn't talking to you," I sighed, massaging my temples in a failing attempt to calm myself.

"Can you control her?" he asked and I found myself unable to answer that question. I wanted to say yes, but deep down I knew that would be a lie. She was growing stronger, feeding on my negative energy and patiently biding her time. I think Crow could see the answer in my face, because he didn't press the subject any further. For a moment I thought I could see a glimpse of disappointment in his eyes, but it could easily have been my imagination. It probably was… was it? ARGH!!! Why couldn't I focus?!

I groaned and grabbed my head, as if trying to force some common sense back into myself. I was seeing things that weren't there and hoping for things that could never be. Why? WHY?!

Prince and Farah… it started with a crush… but it only took a few days…

"Girl, you _are_ ill," Crow stated, annoying protective bastard that he was. I was on the verge of an all-out panic attack. I couldn't think… I couldn't even breathe… Go away, go away, go away! Why wouldn't me leave me alone?!

_Only a few days__…_

_Only a few days__…_

…_Few days…_

…_Just a sand creature…_

I violently shook my head, my eyes closed shut, and tried to fight the feelings that were trying to root in my heart. I couldn't… wouldn't…

Wanted to…

No! It wasn't real! It wasn't real! No.. it _was_ real… the game had just accelerated things… No I couldn't give in! These feelings were wrong! It could never work out! Crow wanted to kill me! I needed to kill him! HE WAS JUST A SAND CREATURE!!!

My eyes snapped open when I felt a cold hand on my forehead. Wait a minute… was he checking me for a fever?! I hoped this was the case, for if this was some kind of Vulcan mindmeld, I'd be seriously screwed.

I opened my mouth to protest, but gulped when he narrowed his eyes in concentration and his face came dangerously close to mine. However, the avian demon didn't seem to notice that the distance between us was slowly growing smaller… If he continued to lean in like this, we eventually would…

No. I could not let it come to _that_. This had gone far enough and it had to nip it in the butt before this whole mess got out of hand. I just firmly had to tell him that I was tired and wanted to be alone. Then I would just have to make sure not to bump into him again. It was better this way for both of us. End it, Alex, I told myself. End it now.

"Crow?"

"Yes?"

Our eyes met again…

I opened my mouth to speak…

… and I kissed him.


	22. Kill me, kiss me

**A/N:** Don't go to college… Really, don't do it. It sucks the life right out of you… in my country at least. I'm glad I still live at home where my parents can poke me awake and shove some food down my throat every now and then, or I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here today XD

Anyway, this was a difficult chapter for me to write, but I'm quite happy how it turned out. It was originally going to be a double chapter split into a part 1 and a part 2, but inspiration struck and I finished the whole thing in one go. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 22: Kill me, kiss me **

One kiss…

One fleeting kiss was all it took to change… everything. My heart wasn't a wonderful guide that one would be wise to follow while enjoying the sound of sugarcoated musical songs. Instead, it more closely resembled Pandora's Box, my impulsive act having been just enough to finally break the seal and let loose all the feelings I had futilely tried to ignore at first, then attempted to label as nothing more than a simple crush.

It sucked.

The minute my lips touched the cloth that covered his face (it must've looked pretty silly), I realized just what the hell I was doing and jolted back, clasping my hands over my mouth and looking at him with wide eyes. Oh, Batman on a hockey stick… what had I done!? What was I thinking?! How would he react!? Was I any good…?

"Err…. Ah… ehm… you see…" I blabbered stupidly, while he seemed to be frozen like a statue. I had now officially turned into a bumbling Farah clone, but where _she_ had only whispered 'my love…' while thinking Prince was safely out for the count, _I_ hadn't even bothered to wait for the right moment and freaking _kissed_ a guy who wanted my head on a platter rather than his face. The Indian princess had been a little bit careless; I had been a complete and utter idiot. Then again… what else was new?

Crow suddenly blinked and looked at me like my hair was on fire and I was wearing a sign that said 'will burp 4 sands'. He obviously had no idea what just happened and I had trouble deciding whether I found this somewhat adorable or very unsettling. A part of me realized that my course of action in the next moment would determine whether I'd live or… well, let's not go there. I had exactly 0.5 seconds to think of an explanation and it had better be good.

"I slipped!"

Then again, when facing sudden death, one might as well stick to the classics. I was doomed anyway, Crow wasn't stupid and he probably knew very well that I…

"You seem to have a mild fever. I suggest you rest."

This time, _I_ was the one who froze on the spot. Except for my jaw, which dropped to the floor. Was he… was he just going to pretend this hadn't happened? Blame it on my sand creature flu, or whatever it was? Or was he really that clueless and naïve that he actually _bought_ my lame excuse!?

"Y-yeah, I guess…" I stuttered, suppressing the nagging feeling that something had just went _horribly_ wrong.

An uneasy silence followed as we sat there, listening to the waterfall and the swirling sands, while I was slowly going mad. I wanted to smack him in the face, shake his shoulders and scream at him to either kiss me back or just get angry, kill me and be done with it.

"I have to go and do… girl stuff…don't follow me," I blurted out and jumped up, preparing to step onto the portal, the words 'get the hell out of here!' repeating over and over again in my head. In the blink of an eye, however, he grabbed my arm and my heart skipped several beats.

"The Dahaka… it is possible that he is waiting on the other side."

"I'll cough real dramatically and tell him my sand creature flu is contagious," I protested while trying to wriggle my way out of his grasp. "He won't risk…"

I never finished that sentence. Before my brain could even register what was going on, I was suddenly pulled back and found myself locked in an icy embrace, his lips pressing down on my own.

I don't know how long exactly it lasted. Seconds, minutes, hours… it was as if time had simply ceased to exist. The sensation was like… like… eating chocolate and being run over by a truck at the same time, if that makes any sense. I couldn't even remember him taking that cloth of his face, but at the moment I couldn't care less. I had lost myself completely.

_Don't let it consume you. _

The Old Man's words echoed through my head and as if on cue, both our eyes snapped open and time started ticking away once more. His hold on me weakened, shock evident on his now uncovered face. I had expected some kind of hideous scar underneath those wrappings, but to my surprise, he looked quite normal… for sand creature-ish standards, that was.

About two percent of me found it amusing that my copyrighted oh-dear-god-I-SO-did-NOT-just-do-that look appeared on _his_ face for a change. The remaining 98 just wanted to panic, hyperventilate and pass out on the spot.

With a startled gasp, I pulled away, my mind completely blank.

"I-I want to be alone now," I stuttered clumsily, stepping back and leaping into the sand vortex that would take me to the present before he could react.

Why?! Why did I kiss him!? Why had he returned it?! Both of us had acted on impulse and complicated things by tenfold. Assassin by day, ally by night: things had been so easy until now. What did all this mean? Did I love him? Did he love me? I racked my brain for the answers, which resulted only in more confusion and a major headache. A flash of golden light later, I found myself back in the present and standing inside a devastated portal room.

I immediately grabbed a rather thin piece of debris and quickly jammed it between one of the activation switches, effectively disabling the portal. Just to make sure, I ripped one of the curtains to pieces and stuffed them into the openings of the wall, preventing the sands from flowing out. Sooner or later Crow would find his way to the present, but at least now I had a head start. Because one thing was certain: I had to stay away from him, and not just because I only had about two hours left until sunrise. I was confused as hell and needed some time to properly think this over.

**"Why?"** Isra suddenly spoke up. **"What's there to think about?"**

"Oh, hell no…"

**"What?" **

"I am not going to discuss my love life with you," I grunted, pushing a rather heavy box onto a floor switch and opening a gate.

**"So you _do_ love him?" **

"Yes… I mean no! I mean, maybe…I mean… Wait a minute, what is this? The Spanish inquisition?!"

**"You can't solve a problem unless you acknowledge it exists,"** she said in a singsong voice that made me want to gag.

"Save it for someone who cares, Dr. Phil," I muttered as I made my way across a ledge and climbed onto a higher platform.

**"I assume you have a plan?" **

"Yes," I snapped while trying to walk a wooden beam that protruded from the stone slab and would allow me to jump to a series of pillars. Strangely, I was less and less afraid of heights or lethal injuries. I was close to the activation mechanism, I could feel it.

"I'll just tell him that things can't work out and it would be better for both of us if we went our separate ways."

**"Uh huh…" **

"I will! Really!"

**"You know you'll just end up playing tongue tennis again." **

I nearly lost my balance, my head red as a clown's nose. Partly because of the disturbing mental images, partly because I knew she was right.

"Fine, so maybe I… kinda like his night personality…"

**"You _kissed_ him." **

"Well, yeah, but…"

**"On the _lips_." **

"Technically, there was a piece of cloth…"

**"He _returned_ it." **

"How is that MY fault?!"

**"You LET him, you dolt! And you weren't exactly protesting! I'm surprised you didn't rip his shirt off and asked him to…" **

"I GET IT!!! I GET IT!!!" I exclaimed, startling a flock of bats. "Seriously, is your mind ever _outside_ the gutter?!"

**"I think we both know the answer to that one, ohohoh!" **

I groaned and slapped my hand over my face when Isra let out an obnoxious laugh and made several more perverted comments which I really do not wish to record for future generations.

**"But really, what are you going to do about this… unfortunate situation?" **

"What do you care about my love life?"

**"You mean lack thereof…" **

"Get to the point already!" I yelled, pulling at my hair in frustration. Dear god, that abyss below me was starting to look awfully tempting…

**"Jeez, take a chill pill, will you?"** she snickered, and continued in a sarcastic tone. **"To be honest, I don't give a sandrat's ass whether you're going to avoid him or grow a spine and make a move. There is no way you two are going to end up with 2.3 kids and a house with a white picket fence, so whatever you do, that heart of yours is going to get broken anyway, which means all the more negative energy for me to knock myself out and paint the town red. However, if he kills you because you're too busy daydreaming about your wedding dress to fight back, I'll kick the bucket as well!"**

"Assuming I pull a Prince and turn all angsty and emo, which I _wont_," I snapped, they raised an eyebrow. "Why are you telling me this anyway? I'll only be more wary of you… if that's even _possible_."

**"Because,"** she said in an eerily dark tone, **"no matter what you say, no matter what you do, as long as you stay here, I _will_ grow stronger. I am inevitable. I am YOU."**

Tired of arguing, I didn't respond, though her words kept repeating over and over again in my head. Still… 'a broken heart'… how ridiculous was that!? For someone to break your heart, you needed to love him or her first, and love in this dimension wasn't real. I _couldn't_ be real. This was all just a game, a bunch of ones and zeroes produced by Ubisoft and sold at computer shops and toy stores.

Then again…

Just what _was_ the definition of 'real', anyway? A magical world where time could be controlled, heroes still existed and everlasting love between a prince and a princess could spark within days? Or a world where everyone wants to look either younger or older, people would just stand and watch while three punks taught the local gay kid 'a lesson', and love consisted of a few awkward dates out of peer pressure, and then catching the one guy you somewhat liked make out with another girl?

It was my disappointment with the real world that led me to isolate myself and take refuge in virtual ones, and if anything… since I arrived in this 'fake' reality… I had never felt more alive.

But despite the wonders this place had to offer, I was still terribly homesick and felt like I didn't belong. Besides that, my presence was disturbing both time and space, and the Dahaka would stop at nothing to eliminate it.

**"And as her angsty emo-musings were swallowed by the empty void that was the darkness of her shattered soul…" **

"See that pillar over there?" I started in a sweet voice. "I'm going to jump now, and whether I succeed or miss will depend entirely on how quickly you SHUT UP!"

Knowing better than to keep pushing my buttons, Isra wisely decided to save the rest of her taunting for another day… or hour… or minute… My dark side wasn't known for her patience. I leaped from the wooden beam and grabbed hold of the column in front of me. I jumped from column to column until I reached a hole in a wall. Stepping through it, I couldn't believe what I saw on the other side.

The activation mechanism…

I had made it…

After blinking and rubbing my eyes several times, a large grin spread across my face, which was Isra's cue to burst my bubble.

**"I wouldn't sing 'we are the champions' just yet,"** she said dryly, and as I looked closer, I knew why. I was in the right place… but at the wrong time. The place was overgrown with vegetation and looked like the Dahaka had plowed through with a monster truck. If I had any hopes of activating the Tower, I had to try my luck in the past and keep my fingers crossed that the place was still standing.

I jumped to a bar and swung to a smaller, moss-covered platform from which I had a better view. I couldn't go back and use the previous portal, for obvious reasons. There was another wall, with an entrance in the lower left. However, I had no idea how to get there. There was a broken platform sticking out the wall on the upper right, from which I could wallrun to a ladder that lead me to the gate. Unfortunately, the platform was too far away to jump and the only way I could possibly get across, would be triggering a special 'cut-scene' that…

Uh oh.

"I'm not here to hurt you!"

Out of thin air, a Blade Dancer suddenly appeared in front of me, taking up what little space there was left. Before I could react, she menacingly raised her dagger, but froze mid-attack and looked slightly above me, here eyes filled with fear. In less than a second, she was yanked off her feet by a black tentacle and I turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of the guardian of the timeline, before he used his ensnared victim as a wrecking ball to whack me off the platform. I was send flying and slammed into the wall, my head reeling from impact.

I barely had time to regain my bearings before the Dahaka let out an aggravated roar and followed in hot pursuit.

"Oh, come on! Can't you pick on Prince for a change!? Cut me some freakin' slack here!" I yelped as I wallrunned to the ladder and slid down as fast as I could; good thing I was wearing gloves. Not daring to look over my shoulder, I landed on the ground and ran through the opening in the wall I had spotted earlier.

"Move your undead legs, you boneheads! Get out of here!!!" I shouted ahead at a group of Keepers who had been waiting to ambush me. Though Keepers usually were not the brightest crayons in the box, these guys knew there was a time to fight and a time to run while screaming like little girls. It was… quite disturbing, to say at least.

Though not as disturbing as the fact that I had kissed their leader…

I mentally smacked myself upside the head: one does not ponder their love life when being chased by a giant horned monster that wants to eat you alive!

I yelped when I nearly tripped over a barrel I had failed to spot. I quickly grabbed my sword and attempted to smash it when I realized I could also just pick it up and toss it aside. I did so and continued to rush through a series of corridors, hoping that one of them would lead me to a portal room. Or a water balloon charged bazooka. Or maybe just a soda. Call me insane, but I tend to get less picky when death is chasing me and practically drooling down my neck.

It didn't take long before I began to notice something was horribly, horribly wrong. These corridors were littered with barrels and other junk that needed to be cleared before I could continue to run. The Dahaka, however, just charged at me in a bee-line, bulldozering over any obstacles that happened to be in his path. Needless to say, he was gaining on me and FAST. I barely managed to dodge a black tendril that whizzed past my face, grazing my cheek and causing my life to pass before my eyes.

"ISRA!!!"

**"You rang?" **she drawled and I gritted my teeth.

I hated her. I hated her so very, very much. But it was not like I had much of a choice. Unless I considered getting turned inside-out a reasonable alternative to survival… which I most certainly did not.

"No time for jokes," I panted, ignoring my aching sides. "You know what to do."

**"Excellent." **

Almost immediately, I was engulfed in a blur of black smoke and feathers, transforming into my darker other self. I felt a slight buzz again, but this time, I managed to stay in control.

Using my new body, I quickly increased the distance between me and my demonic stalker, utilizing my increased speed and agility. Isra would never let me hear the end of it if she knew, but I was actually enjoying my newfound athletic prowess.

I laughed as I gracefully zigzagged between obstacles, did horizontal wallruns and leaped over a spikepit. It was as if I was flying, the sensation so exhilarating I almost forgot I why I had let Isra take over again. The Dahaka was quick to remind me, following close behind and roaring about my impending doom.

You know those moments when you're convinced things can't possibly get any worse, you do a double check just to be sure, and you wisely decide to rethink your conclusion and make proper preparations so it won't take you by surprise?

I forgot to doublecheck.

"Waaark! Waaark! Waaark!"

As I reached the exit of the corridor and ran back out in the open again, my eyes fell on a flock of crows that were sitting in a small tree. Oh, dammit… how did _he_ get here so fast!? I SO did NOT want to deal with this right now!

The birds flew up with a loud screech and flew next to me, obviously determined not to let me out of sight again.

Then again… maybe I was worried over nothing? Maybe these were just ordinary birds that so happened to fly in the same direction?

**"If you are who I'm praying you aren't, blink twice,"** I told them while jumping to a column and sliding down to a lower level. Needless to say, I felt like an idiot for acting like the crazy 'pigeon lady' who used to scurry around our local mall. Could birds even blink?

I glanced at the biggest one and felt all blood draining from my face when it demonstrated that birds, indeed, did have control over their eyelids.

**"That's the last time they'll ever see _me_ donate to church,"** I muttered as I desperately scanned the area for a waterfall.

**"Look to your right! There's a lake!"** Isra suddenly exclaimed mentally, and I got the idea. Taking a deep breath, I made a run for it and jumped into the water, changing back to my normal form. The Dahaka shrieked as a few drops splashed up and made contact with his skin. The crows flew to the center of the lake, out of the tendrils' reach.

"Beat it!" I yelled as I splashed some more water on the black demon. "Shoo! Shoo!"

Howling as more water hit his armor, the Dahaka finally gave up and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Man, that thing was annoying…

**"Uh oh, trouble at 12 o'clock." **

I looked and saw that the birds had flown to land again, but did not change back. It was as if they were waiting for me to join them. I had a very bad feeling about this, but the sensation of my butt freezing off motivated me enough to ignore my intuition and swim to the shore. Once I got to talk to the Empress, the first thing we would discuss was installing some proper heating. Ugh!

Rather clumsily, I got out of the lake while coughing up water and shaking my arms legs in a failed attempt to dry my clothes. I looked like a drowned cat and there wasn't a towel or blow-dryer in sight. Oh, just peachy.

Still shivering (yes, sand creatures DO get goose bumps), I stood in front of the flock of crows, not quite sure what to do. Or rather… I wasn't sure what _he_ would do. Maybe I could make a joke out of it and say something like 'I won't bring _it_ up if you wont' and then wink playfully. Or I could just continue my current strategy of running like an idiot, pretend _it_ had never happened and hope he would get the hint.

**"Or you could pay attention… Heads up!" **

I snapped out of my musing just in time to see the birds dissipate in a flurry of feathers and take on the towering form of the Crow Master. Oh, someone up there hated me alright…

Oh well, it looked like I didn't have a choice. I would just have to let Crow down gently and explain that I kissed him on impulse and he would be better off dating someone from his own dimension. Or just give him a false phone number. That might work too.

"Ah… eh… you see…" I started, but I was almost literally cut off. With one fell swoop, he took out his sword and slashed at my head. I yelped and jumped away, barely dodging the next blow which was aimed at my neck.

Acting more on instinct than anything else, I took out my own weapon and started blocking like I had never blocked before. His attacks were so fast they looked like blurs and I was given no time to regain my bearings. Crow was going all out and all I could do was try to keep up.

**"Swing left! Left! OTHER left! Stay low! Don't drop your guard! Aim for the…" **

I a fit of anger, I beat my darker self to the punch and broke through his defenses, landing a devastating blow on his chest.

**"Whoa…"** she said with genuine awe in her voice, but to be honest, I wasn't even _hearing_ it anymore. I didn't hear _anything_.

I just attacked… and he did the same. But this wasn't like any of our normal encounters. No witty banter was exchanged, nor lessons about so-called honor. Compared to this one, our earlier fights almost seemed like playful sparring sessions. Crow's style had changed from reserved and perhaps even respectful, to vicious and downright brutal. And the moment our blades clashed and our eyes met… I knew why.

He loved me too.

And he was going to destroy the evidence.

"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!" I shrieked as he charged at me with breakneck speed. "It doesn't have to end like this!"

Oh, of all the corny lines to use…

"Yes, it does."

For the first time since the… 'incident'… he had spoken, and his words send chills up my spine.

"No, it does not!" I protested as I deflected another blow.

"Look," I tried hopelessly, "I know you're confused… I know I am… But we need to sit down and talk this out before one of us, and by us I mean you, does something stupid!"

"The sun has risen, I must obey the Empress!"

"No, you fucking don't!" I shrieked, a bit taken aback by my own choice of words, but I couldn't help it… I was angry, hurt and frustrated beyond belief.

"This isn't about the sun or the Empress and you goddamn know it!" I raged furiously, continuing my verbal assault. I glared daggers at him awaiting a reply, almost _daring_ him to disagree. Instead I suddenly found myself pinned against a wall, his blade pressed against my neck. I always _did_ suck at truth or dare…

"I do not know what you have done to me," he hissed in a dark voice he had never used before. "But you will undo it _now_!"

"What did I do?" I squeaked in a tone normally reserved for teachers, my dad and the occasional enforcer of the law.

"You are haunting me!" he yelled, completely losing his composure. "You haunt me when I run! You haunt me when I dream! You haunt me when I fight! You anger me, confuse me, drive me insane! Whatever curse you bestowed on me, I demand you undo it now!"

With an angry cry, I pushed him away, rubbing my sore neck.

"This isn't a…"

What? What was I going to say? That it wasn't a curse? He wouldn't understand what love was if I told him in a thousand different ways, simply because love was impossible to explain. He just wasn't ready to comprehend anything close to compassion, let alone an emotion so complex as love… I wasn't even sure if I could grasp it myself.

"It's called 'love', Crow," I said softly, my rage replaced with regret. "It's not something I can control… nor can you."

"Love…" he repeated slowly, as if he was having great difficulty pronouncing the word.

"Yes…" I nodded, a small part of me still hoping against all hope that realization would suddenly strike him.

"How do I rid myself of this 'love'?"

I sighed, now knowing he would never understand.

"You don't," I shook my head. "In my world… there's a good chance it will go away in time, depending on how much it has grown. In this one, however… I'm not sure."

I couldn't bring myself to say it was permanent, though I knew this was most likely the case. Prince and Farah had only known each other for about two days and seven years later, he _still_ loved her.

I looked at Crow. He seemed calmer now, but not in a good way. He was terribly confused and an pained look appeared on his face, as if desperately racking his brain for an explanation. Somehow he reminded me of Data from Star Trek; the android who tried to become human and grow beyond his programming. In a way… that was what Crow was trying to do: grow beyond his own 'programming' that was created by the Empress. But it was hurting him, I could see it in his eyes. This was not right… this wasn't fair. Not to me and not to him.

"I'm setting you free."

The words had left my mouth before I realized it. But it was the right thing to do, even though it might cost me my head.

"What?" he blinked, as if he wasn't quite sure he had heard correctly.

"Our deal…" I swallowed a lump in my throat. "It's off. You don't owe me anything anymore, not at day or at night. I'm returning things the way they were before all of this happened. You can pick your own loyalties, even if they lie with the Empress. You're free."

"I…"

Suddenly, a loud battle cry pierced both our ears as a red blur suddenly plowed into the avian demon. Dust flew up and I could hardly see a thing. For a split second, I thought the Dahaka had returned, but then I heard the clashing of blades and a loud screech that indicated Crow had dispersed into a flock of birds again. What the… ?!

"Run, while escape is still an option!" I heard a familiar voice shout as the dust settled. The mysterious figure then put his sword away and turned to me. "Are you alright?"

I gawked when I saw who had interrupted our conversation and rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

"…PRINCE?!"


	23. Hello, intruder here!

**A/N: **I'm trying to update at least once a week, but with the growing pressure at college, I might not make that goal every time. I'll do everything I can to make it, though! This story is addictive to write and I already have a few ideas for a sequel ;)

* * *

**Chapter 23: Hello, intruder here! **

"We have to get out of here!"

Before I could open my mouth to protest, Prince grabbed my hand and started running.

"The Dahaka," he panted. "It has been chasing me relentlessly! It will not be long before…"

"Don't get me started that creep!" I rolled my eyes. "It's been stalking me through the entire tower!"

Prince stopped dead in his tracks, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Yup, I'm on his hit list as well," I answered his unspoken question… then sweatdropped as his gaze lowered and rested on my chest.

"Prince, you had better start looking me in de eyes again, or so help me…"

"Where did you get that cloth?" he asked, pointing at my improvised top.

"I… kinda lost the one Stumpy gave me… and I found this one in a… uh… box."

"_How_ did you lose it?"

"…rabid space weasels…"

He arched one eyebrow, and kept staring at me. Oh, he was SO not buying it.

"Alright! Alright! I got it from Crow!" I exclaimed, buckling under his piercing gaze. Ugh, he was worse than my dad!

"Crow?"

"The sand creature you just attacked with no reason," I snapped at him, smacking myself as soon as those words had left my mouth. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"It was going to kill…" Prince stopped and his jaw hit the floor as my slip up finally registered in his brain. "Wait a minute, you _NAMED_ it?!"

"I can totally explain," I nervously twiddled my thumbs, "but I kinda don't want to…"

"Very strange things are happening in this place, Alex," Prince said, his voice serious and grim. I had expected him to jump out of his skin, draw his sword and _make_ me spill the beans, but instead he remained eerily calm. I didn't like it one bit.

"The Dahaka has not only been chasing me, but the sand creatures as well. He's targeting them specifically. Oddly, he seems to wait until I have snuck past them. For some reason, the tower was much larger than I anticipated and I knew we were running out of time. Rather than fighting my way through, I decided to opt for a stealth approach. As much as I wished to rid the world of these monsters, time was no longer on my side. It did them little good though: I spared their lives to speed up my journey, only to look over my shoulder and find nothing but dropped weapons and traces of an unfair battle neither they or I could possibly have won."

"They weren't supposed to survive," I nodded. "That's why the Dahaka is trying to remove them from the timeline."

"Better them than us."

"…yeah…" I mumbled halfheartedly, knowing that _them_ included _him_.

Prince looked at me suspiciously, then his eyes widened as he noticed the glowing gash on my stomach.

"What is _that_?!" he asked, a look of horror on his face. I sighed, knowing that there was no use in trying to pass it off as a rash. I motioned him to walk next to me on our way to the next portal, telling what had happened since my unfortunate decision to enter the tower on my own. As I continued to talk, I could see bewilderment growing in his eyes. I told him about being ambushed the sand creatures, my first encounter with the guardian of the tower, the birth of Isra and how something that started as a reluctant cease-fire, eventually developed into something more… though leaving out some of the, ahem, 'spicier' details.

"It is… strange," he said after a long and uncomfortable silence. "The sand creatures here seem to behave more… dare I say it… intelligent than the ones I fought in Azad when the sands were unleashed from the hourglass."

"There are two types of sand creatures," I explained to him what Crow had told me earlier. "Organic based and sand based. The first are normal living beings, mostly humans, who were infected by the sands of time. They have the social skills of a banana peel and basically just stagger around like zombies, attacking anything with a pulse. The second are created by the Empress and crafted directly from the sands of time. They are intelligent and able to communicate, though they will only answer to the Empress of Time. Though far more dangerous than the infected sand creatures, they have one major weakness: like the Dahaka, they cannot stand the water. As for me… my body seems to have the best of both worlds. Expect for my battle skills: those still suck all the way to Babylon and back."

"It doesn't matter. Your 'friend'," he said as if it was a foul word, "will kill us the first chance he gets. We must make haste and activate the towers."

"He won't… wait a minute, did you say towers? As in more than one? As in you never activated the Clock Tower?!"

"I entered a time portal, but instead of transporting me to the past, it brought me here. We will have to find a way around."

The language I used for a good 15 minutes to express my discontent, was quite loud and exceptionally colorful.

"Right…" I grumbled, rubbing my temples. "Let's just find the next portal, activate the Garden Tower, find Crow and talk him into joining the good guys, return here, find your portal and enter the Clock Tower. Onwards!!!"

I dramatically threw my hair back and bravely began marching towards the horizon, only be held back by a certain Persian Royal.

"We will _not_ search out that foul demon!"

"Hey!!!" I exclaimed, insulted. "I _kissed_ that foul… uh oh."

"You did WHAT?!" he nearly fell over, his eyes bulging out of his head.

"Kiss!?" I panicked. "Did I say kiss!? Who said anything about a kiss!? I meant, err…ah…uhm… Oh, _crap_."

"I don't believe this…" he groaned, covering his face with one hand while I sweatdropped. He then suddenly grabbed my shoulder and looked at me.

"You have to decide now, Alex," he said, his voice betraying he was running out of patience. "I am of royal blood and a man of my word. I will not break our alliance, but if you choose to pursue that creature rather than accompany me in my quest, I will assume our agreement no longer stands. What do you want? Will you stay at my side and face the Empress together, or abandon your only hope of seeing your world once more, only to chase something that will never be? _He_ has an undying loyalty to his creator. And _she_ wants both of us dead. You know this."

"But…"

I trailed off, another uneasy silence following. My heart was screaming one thing, my head the other. I thought long and hard about both options and sighed.

"Okay, I guess... I'll come with you."

Prince nodded and continued his trek, me dragging behind. Deep down I knew he was right. As long as Crow didn't understand what love was, there was no way he'd give up on trying to forcefully remove my head from my shoulders. If anything, the overwhelming confusion would eventually drive him bonkers and send the guy on a bloody all-out killing spree that would even have the Dahaka run while screaming like a little girl.

I really, _really_ didn't want to be around when that happened.

"Come on, we do not have much time!" Prince urged and I looked over my shoulder once more, just in case. I didn't see him… but I knew he saw me. I could feel his prying eyes following us wherever we went.

"Coming," I sighed in defeat and joined the royal on his quest.

Many hours passed as I trudged along and followed in Prince's footsteps. He was surprised that I had learned to do his circus acts so quickly. I had no problem jumping columns and swinging ropes, and though I still hated ledges with a passion, I was somewhat able to climb them.

Still, nothing quite amazed him as much as my darker side. You could say a lot about Isra, but her body was strong, agile and pretty darn fast. I caught myself resorting to transforming into my alter ego more and more during Dahaka chases, and my bad habit was slowly but surely leaving its marks on my body as well as my mind.

The symbols on my stomach spread each time I let my darker self take over. They now covered my knees and up to my collarbone. As for my mind… Isra's voice became louder and increasingly harder to ignore. Sometimes she tried to break free and I could only barely keep her from taking control. Prince noticed this disturbing development as well and pretty much forbade me to take the 'easy way out', telling me to use my own two left feet to run from the Dahaka. Ironically, he for some reason thought this was safer.

With the guardian of the timeline giving us the proverbial kick-in-the-ass, we reached the next portal pretty quick. After traveling back to the past, I couldn't help but look around and hope to catch a glimpse of Crow. Surely he wouldn't just let me leave…

… would he?

After a long, tiring and most of all _boring_ walk, we reached the activation system. There were no sand creatures to fight us: all we found were their weapons and traces of blood; a certain black demon had gotten to them first.

I quickly looked away, fearing to see Crow's sword amongst the remains. Even if he wanted me dead, that didn't mean wished the same to him. Even in his absence, my feelings continued to develop rapidly to the point where I seriously doubted I'd be able to kill him. I'd just have to watch a few old Star Trek episodes, learn the Vulcan Nervepinch and knock him out, if worst came to worst…

I climbed on top of the statues, shouting directions at Prince who was operating the floor turnstiles, solving the puzzle fairly easy.

Talk about an anti-climax.

I jumped, swung and wallrunned my way to the final turnstile. This was the one that would finally activate the tower.

I glanced at it, half expecting a swarm of sand creatures to appear and maul me on the spot, or maybe just a giant monster that I had to defeat in a grand and epic boss battle.

"Hello?! Intruder here!" I shouted, crossing my arms and tapping my foot. "Isn't _anyone_ going to try and stop me?!"

"Alex! Stop fooling around and activate the tower!"

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. Prince was still standing on the ground and I was pretty pissed off that there was no one around to witness my vast and über coolness as I operated the last and final turnstile. I was performing a so-called 'impossible task' here, darn it!

Muttering, I did what I had to do and watched as the water flowed down. I briefly had a weird vision of a giant door with two locks, one of them now opened.

One tower down…

One tower to go…

And one pair of eyes I knew were still watching my every move.


	24. Fear of loss

**A/N:** I got a 'complaint' there was not enough 'romancy stuff' in the last chapter. I think this one makes up for it XD. And for those who don't like the mushy stuff, there's action! Violence! Death! More violence! Really, what else does a story need?

Enjoy!

**P.S.** Thank you for all the reviews! I never thought this story would attract so many readers! I appreciate all feedback, whether it's positive, negative or just plain silly ;)

* * *

**Chapter 24: Fear of loss **

My mouth fell open in awe as I stepped outside the malfunctioning portal room and got my very first view of the Clock Tower. Mind you, I never made it further than halfway through the Garden Tower when playing the game and thus, I had no idea what was waiting ahead.

"Prince, we're almost at the activation mechanism, aren't we?" I asked nervously.

"We should be close… Or at least I hope."

"Great…" I sweatdropped at the hesitation in his voice.

"We should move, we only have a few hours until nightfall," Prince said, dragging a box onto a floorswitch and opening a gate ahead.

Nightfall… I had released Crow from his vow to protect me after sunset. On second thought though, perhaps this had not been one of my better ideas. Then again, his territory was the Garden Tower, so as long as we stayed here, we'd only have to worry about… well… something that was probably at least twice as deadly.

"Alex!" Prince called from ahead. "Can you assist me?"

"What? Don't tell me the big strong macho Prince of Persia needs my help?" I smiled slyly, at which he rolled his eyes.

"Very funny," he said dryly, then motioned at another gate. "The activation switch for this one is on the other side. When I first stumbled on this dead end, I tried the portal but ended up in the Garden Tower, so we have to find a way around."

I inspected the wall next to the gate and grinned when my eye fell on a crack. Woohoo! This was it! My time to shine!

"Stand back, Prince!" I boasted. "I'll get us out of here!"

"I don't think this is going to…"

"Think what?" I asked him, narrowing my gaze. Strike one…

"Well, that crack is rather…ehm…narrow."

Strike two…

"Are you calling me fat?!"

"No, I'm just saying there's no way you can possible fit through that…"

Needless to say, Prince quickly found himself face down on the ground and by the way he was no longer seeing double, I had already crawled halfway through.

"Ha! Told you I could… uh oh."

"You're stuck, aren't you?" he sweatdropped, dusting off his pants.

"No… maybe… kinda… yeah…"

"I told you it was too narrow," he shook his head.

"IT SHRUNK!!!"

"I bet it did," Prince snickered while pulling my arm… which unfortunately did little good.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" I yelped. "Easy on the joints! I'm not a slot machine!"

"I'm not quite sure how to put this," he sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "But I think you're going to need to lose some…"

"DON'T YOU FREAKING DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!!!" I shrieked, trashing wildly and freeing myself in the process. With as much dignity as I could muster, I stepped on the floorswitch and opened the gate.

"Not a word," I glared as he walked by and smugly pulled up the corners of his mouth.

"We should head west," he said while drinking from a fountain. "I believe…"

He trailed off and both of us blinked when we looked at the water. It was… moving!?

"The…hell?"

Ripples appeared at a steady pace. Still, ripple. Still, ripple. Still, ripple. With every pulse, they grew stronger and soon we could even feel the ground vibrating underneath our feet. A loud roar caught our attention and Prince pulled me out of the way, a split second for a giant fist smashed the fountain. Panicked, I looked up and my mind went completely blank: a monster, nearly two times the size of the Dahaka, was towering over us, stomping on the ground and making the earth shake.

"A Golem!" Prince eyes widened while I just stood there and screamed my lungs out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

"It's coming right at you!" Prince yelled. "Aim for the calves!"

"I CAN'T EVEN _REACH_ ITS CALVES!!!" I shrieked while running in circles and trying to stay out of its gigantic hands. "KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!"

The royal quickly rushed to my aid, but I was lifted off my feet and flung away like a rag doll, slamming into the Persian's chest. Both of us crashed into a wall and slumped down in a crumpled heap.

"Ugh…" I groaned, my head spinning. My sand creature body was pretty tough… tougher than a certain human of flesh and blood.

"Prince…? Oh no, don't you do this to me! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!!!"

I shook his shoulders and slapped his face, but the royal was out for the count.

"Prince! You had better still be breathing, because I'm NOT giving you mouth-to-mouth!" I paused, took a good long look at his well defined muscles and raised an eyebrow. "Then again…"

The ground shook and before I knew it, I found myself sailing through the air again. Stars danced before my eyes as I skidded over the stone floor and crashed headfirst into a wooden crate. Sand creature body or not, there was only so much damage I could take before things got ugly. A few more rounds of first person Frisbee and I could kiss myself goodbye.

**"Ahem…" **

"NO."

**"Oh, come on, we both know where this is going. Might as well cut to the chase and let me take over now." **

I ignored her and looked at the Goliath sized monster that was charging at me like a mad bull… only undead and completely nuts.

I feverishly racked my brain for what Prince had said. The calves! Those were his weak spots!

**"Yeah, too bad they're about two kilometers out of your reach, shorty,"** Isra commented dryly as I rolled away from a giant fist that slammed violently into the ground.

"Prince! Little help here?!" I yelled at the unconscious royal, only to discover he was gone!

A dark shadow suddenly loomed over me and I only caught a glimpse of a giant foot before everything went black…

"Prince! Little… wow, déjà vu," I blinked. However, a dark shadow suddenly loomed over me and I only caught a glimpse of a giant foot before Prince made a nosedive and shoved me out of harms way.

"I feel weird," I shook my head. "You used recall, didn't you?"

"Five times."

I fell over animestyle.

"You're joking, right?" I sweatdropped.

"No, and I only have one sandtank left," he said grimly, eying the Golem who was standing still and roaring at no one in particular.

"Sorry," I apologized sheepishly.

"Watch it next time," he warned. "Despite it's size, that thing is much faster than it looks."

"Yeah," I agreed. "It's going to take all you got to bring that monster down… Hey! Don't give me that look! _Someone_ has to stay here and cheer you on from the sidelines?"

"You distract it while I go for the shins," Prince ordered, ignoring my protests.

"Before or after he's ripped me to sand creature confetti?!"

Before I knew it, I was knocked of my feet AGAIN and crashed into a wall.

"Good job, Alex!" Prince shouted. "Try to keep it in that corner!"

"Sure, no problem," I answered sarcastically, pressing my back against the wall and dodging the giant's grasping hands. "Is there something else I can perhaps do for you? Make some tea? Get a pair of fuzzy slippers? Move the whole freaking Clock Tower a little to the left?!"

Suddenly, the Golem howled in pain as the royal slashed the small area of unprotected flesh. It got down on it's knees and Prince quickly climbed onto his shoulder, hammering away at it's armor until he could finally jam his blade into its neck. With one last roar, the giant collapsed and dissipated in a cloud of sand.

"Please tell me those things don't live in herds," I gulped as I saw the sand disappearing in Prince's amulet.

"No, we should be safe… for now."

"Must you do that?!" I twitched.

"Do what?" He frowned

"The impending doom thing," I said while making spooky hand gestures. "'For _now_…' 'I _hope_…' Really, I'm jumpy enough as it is!"

Prince looked at me as if trying to read my mind.

"Are you _sure_ you want to come with me and fight the Empress?"

"Well, I need to get home and… What?! FIGHT the Empress?!" I exclaimed with wide eyes. "Hold on there, Terminator! You said you only wanted an audience!"

"Yes, but…"

"I won't kill her! I won't kill anyone unless it's self-defense! But of you plan on… on _murdering_ her, then you can just…!"

"Look, I don't want to kill her either!" Prince grabbed my shoulders. "I only want to speak with her and convince her not to create the sands of time! But look at the way she received me… us! This entire island is a death trap, filled with thousands of minions ordered to slaughter anyone who dares to set foot on its shores!"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we might not have a choice. Both of us must speak with the Empress, but if she's anything like her own soldiers, she might not listen to reason."

"All sand and no social life make Empress a crazy girl?"

"I fear this might be the case," he nodded grimly. "I don't think it's unlikely she'll attack us first and ask questions later. I've seen enough bloodshed for one lifetime in Azad, but I will not fall to my knees and let her or the Dahaka take my life… not without a fight."

"Well, let's just hope a bit of good ol' diplomacy will do the trick," I said, shuddering. I'd really rather not fight her, but this whole situation had 'Boss Battle' written all over it. This was a videogame after all… I just hoped the outcome wouldn't have to be deadly.

**"Are you still thinking about the Empress, or someone else?" **

I didn't answer.

"The sun is setting," Prince stated as we entered a small cave, the entrance partly covered with foliage; a rare sight in this mechanical environment. "We should rest here for the night. You have first Dahaka watch."

"I have first… WHAT?! Prince, you can't just…!"

But the royal had already made himself comfortable and was deep asleep. Oh, just peachy…

One hour later, I was sitting curled up against the cave wall. I was freezing with my bare arms and stomach, but I didn't dare light a fire and draw any… unwanted attention. I'd somehow lost my gloves fighting the golem and my fingers were starting to tingle.

I yawned and stretched my cramped muscles. My eyes kept closing on their own, but I still had three more hours to go before my shift was over. I leaned back against the wall and looked sideways through the foliage at the night sky. There was none, not even an artificial one like in the Garden Tower.

I felt my eyelids getting heavy and slapped myself in the face to stay awake. I'd never make it through my watch if I just sat here like this. I needed to move and get the blood flowing through my head again.

I got up, arching my sore back. The Dahaka was nowhere in sight and it attacked mostly during the day anyway. Just a little nightly stroll wouldn't hurt anyone… would it?

Suppressing yet another yawn, I set foot outside the cave and started walking, filling my lungs with the cold night air. It was quiet, save for the soft buzzing of the machines that were all around us.

I walked for a good ten minutes until I reached the end of the platform. I sat down, my legs lazily dangling over the edge. My head felt like a bowling ball and I noticed my clothes had turned brown: apparently I'd taken more damage during our fight with the Golem than I thought. Ugh… my eyes… I just couldn't keep them open…

Groaning, I slowly got up and prepared to head back to the cave for some sleep. Sandboy would just have to suck it up and wake…

"EEEEEEK!!!"

As I put my feet back on the platform, part of it suddenly gave way, a large chunk breaking off and falling into the abyss below. I was clinging to the edge with one hand and tried to pull myself up, but my fingers were slipping… and they were slipping fast.

"PRINCE!!! HELP!!!" I panicked, but he was too far away and too deep asleep to hear me. I tried using my feet, but the platform was too thin: there was nothing for my feet to climb on. My legs and lower body were helplessly dangling in the air.

A gust of wind blew through the tower and I gasped as my fingers slipped even further and one by one, they lost their grip. I couldn't transform into Isra and use her strength: the transformation would force me to release my hold. Oh man, this would not end well…

"AAAAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

I screamed as I felt the stone crumble beneath my fingertips and I helplessly plummeted down the bottomless abyss. At least… that's what I thought. In reality, I only fell for about ten centimeters before someone grabbed my hand. Relieved, I looked up, expecting to see the Persian royal.

What I saw were a pair of glowing eyes staring back at me and though it was too dark to see my savior's face, I knew who those eyes belonged to. I also knew that I couldn't possibly kill him. A rather odd calm came over me, as if the part of me that wanted to go hysteric was completely numbed. It was over. No more cat and mouse, no more split loyalties. I could see it in his eyes that he knew it as well: whatever we were going to do… whatever the future held for us… it would be decided now.

"If you only followed me to finish our fight, then don't bother pulling me up. I can't kill you. Not now, not ever. It's too late for that."

"I have not."

"Then why?"

"My loyalty lies with you."

"Not anymore," I smiled wryly. "I released you from your vow. Don't you remember?"

"I remember. You told me to choose my own loyalties. My loyalty lies with you."

Time stopped right there and then. His words kept repeating over and over again in my head, as if my brain kept double-checking the signals it had received from my ears. I didn't dare to hope, it simply couldn't be. I knew I had heard it wrong, I just knew it.

"How can you say that when you think love is a curse? An alliance or even friendship won't do anymore. It's all or nothing. Anything in between and the game will drive me mad."

"You died," he said after a long silence. "The Golem sealed your fate, I… failed to stop it. I know the Prince manipulated time, rewinding it before the fatal event took place. I am a creature made from the sands themselves, thus my memories have been preserved… though rather vaguely."

"And now you think you understand what 'love' is?"

"Yes."

"Then what is it?"

Crow stayed silent for a while, carefully choosing his words. Finally, he looked at me, no more confusion present in his eyes.

"Fear of loss."

"It's much more than just fear," I whispered hoarsely, then smiled. "But it'll do for now."

Crow pulled me up and for what felt like an eternity, we just sat there, our arms wrapped around each other and, corny as it may sound, determined to never let go.

"Finally," I sighed blissfully. "Nothing could ruin this moment."

We both sweatdropped when a loud roar from the Dahaka and a startled waking cry from Prince pierced our ears.

"Except maybe for that…"


	25. Stumpy is the Empress?

**A/N:** Updating frenzy! Sometimes a story just seems to move on its own and the author has no choice but to follow. Especially when there are about a million other chores waiting to be finished… Paradoxical as it may sound, this busy college life is actually doing wonders for my creativity, so I guess I'll enjoy it wile it lasts XD

Roll the tape!

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**Chapter 25: Stumpy is the Empress?!**

"Oh no," I groaned when I saw a red dot bolting out of the cave, followed by a larger black dot that was gaining on it quick.

"We should hide," Crow suggested.

"I can't just leave him," I protested, then turned red when I realized how that had came out. "Not like _that_! We joined forces because both of us have business with the Empress! At least… I used to have business with her…"

The two dots were getting bigger and heading right for us. I nervously looked back at Crow.

"You should leave this world," he said.

"But…"

"The Dahaka will kill you if you stay."

"And you'll be next in line! If I have to leave, I'm taking you with me!"

"I do not belong in your world. Will my presence not spawn another Dahaka?"

"No, we don't have demons or magic… we have electricity instead. It's much more boring and you have to pay for it too."

"Still, my loyalty lies with you, not with him…" he said, narrowing his eyes at Prince who was getting closer, the Dahaka hot on his tail. He slowly took out his sword, but I quickly stopped him.

"Oh no, don't even think about it! No bloodshed while I'm around! If you want to travel with me, you're going to accept him as part of the full package. He might be a jerk sometimes, but he's still my friend!"

"And if I make it swift?"

"NO," I glared at him. "Sorry, but sandboy is part of the deal. Take it or leave it."

He grudgingly nodded, then looked at me again, raising an eyebrow.

"And you believe he will accept me as well?"

"Well, we're about to find out… RUN!!!"

Prince and the Dahaka had finally reached us. Prince went bug-eyed and though he was out of breath, he did manage to send me a extremely nasty scowl.

"I'll… _we'll_ explain later," I said before I was forced to start running as well. The three of us were now running alongside, with me in the middle and the Dahaka following close behind. I made sure to keep them separated or all hell would break loose. If it had not already. Prince was glaring daggers at both of us and the look on Crow's face was anything but friendly. I realized perfectly well that asking those two to get along was like asking Captain Picard and the Borg Queen to put on frilly pink dresses and discuss their differences over a cup of Earl Grey.

Another roar from the Dahaka snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked sideways and noticed Prince was clutching his side and panting like a horse. My eyes widened when I saw blood running through his fingers.

"Prince! You're injured!"

"Thank you so much for noticing," he spat, gritting his teeth. "If it had not been for your timely warning, the Dahaka would surely have… oh, wait a minute, that's right! You _didn't_ warn me because you were too busy _betraying_ me in favor of that foul…"

"I'm sorry!" I panicked. "It's just that…"

"Save it," he barked, then closed his eyes shut in pain and began to slow down. "Gods…"

"Oh no, you don't!" I protested, putting his arm around my shoulder and dragging him along.

"We need to find a Portal Room!" I turned to Crow.

"So you two can finish me off in peace?" Prince groaned, his voice dripping with bitterness.

"You're still my friend, Prince! He joined us, not the other way around. I'd never hurt you! And neither will he, will you Crow?"

"…"

"Crowwwwwww…."

"By her grace only, I shall let you live," he finally said to the injured royal, though his eyes told a different story. I made a mental note to sleep with one eye open and sigh these two hotheads up for therapy.

"Ridiculous…" Prince shook his head in disbelief. "This whole situation is… ridiculous. I have no other words for it."

He sighed and I saw his eyelids becoming heavy. He was losing a lot of blood and was on the verge of passing out. I turned to our new hesitant ally and cast him a worried look.

"I understand," he nodded and he went to Prince's other side, supporting his other arm. The royal uttered a few weak noises of protest but lacked the strength to fight back. We had to find water and we had to find it _fast_.

"I believe there is a Portal Room ahead," my avian friend noted, and thank Buddha he was right. We rushed to the waterfall and dived through, barely escaping the Dahaka's grasp. He looked at us, then roared in disappointment and vanished into thin air.

Crow (who had turned into his bird form and back) leaned against a wall, still disoriented from passing through the water, and Prince was lying on the ground, pale as a sheet and out for the count. I couldn't find a vase, so I ripped off a piece of curtain, drenched it in the fountain and wrung out the soaked cloth above Prince's mouth.

As soon as the water touched his lips, the gaping wound on his side began to heal and color started to return to his face. I looked at the process in awe: I guess this was how it felt to be happy and creeped out at the same time.

"Farah…"

I jumped at his voice, only to realize that he wasn't talking to me, or anyone in particular.

"No Prince, just me," I calmed him down, getting him some more water while Crow watched us passively.

"You remind me so much of her…"

I blushed, though not sure whether he had meant it as a compliment. His eyes snapped open and slowly he sat up, letting out a small groan.

"She was just as bighearted… as well as naive."

"Hey!"

Prince ignored me and looked up at Crow, who stared back. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop and I was afraid that even breathing too loud would trigger one of them into jumping out of their skin and fly at the other's throat.

"Why?" Prince asked suspicious, slowly reaching for his sword but not unsheathing it yet,

"She thinks of you a friend."

Prince got up and took a step closer to the avian demon, arching one eyebrow in a mix of curiosity and doubt. His muscles were tensed and his hand was still hovering near the handle of his blade. Crow was looking calm on the outside, though I knew he was mentally preparing for battle and just waiting for Prince to make the first move.

"Others of your kind did not hesitate to strike when given even the slightest opening," the royal said slowly. "And neither did you during our first encounter close to the entrance of the fortress."

"Correct," Crow nodded. "When you invaded our island, I was summoned away from the Garden Tower by Shahdee and ordered to stop you from following her through the portal, but in the end I failed. Unfortunately…"

"_Crow!_" I hissed between clenched teeth, praying that Prince would let this one slide.

"Why should I believe this is not a trap?" he narrowed his eyes at the sand creature. "Before any of this, even the idea of a normal conversation with someone of your kind seemed absolutely ludicrous. You are all blinded by your loyalty to the Empress and ordered to kill anyone and anything that sets foot on these shores. Now a female has come along and I just have to assume that she somehow swayed you into embracing human emotions like compassion and even love, though all the Empress allowed you to know was destruction and death? Why should I believe such a preposterous tale?"

"Perhaps because, at second glance, we have more in common than meets the eye," Crow stated. "Through the Empress' visions, we have caught brief glimpses and fragmented scenes of your journey to India and the events in Azad. Did you not travel to the Maharaja's palace with death and destruction in mind? Did you not grow fond of the daughter of your fallen enemy? Did you not ally because of a common foe? Though our means may differ, our cause remains the same. To free ourselves from the Dahaka and keep the girl from harm."

"And I care about both of you," I said, looking at both of them with pleading eyes. "I could not stand seeing either of you hurt… or worse. Whether it be as a friend or something more, I love both of you dearly and if you wish to be with me, each of you will have to accept the other as well."

Both of them seemed to ponder this. I knew both of them cared about me, though perhaps in different ways. I would be lying if I said it wasn't at least a _bit_ flattering.

"I'm going to regret this… I just know I will. But I suppose I could give that _thing_ the benefit of the doubt," Prince glared at Crow.

"Though he brought that despicable black demon onto our island, I shall try to let the _intruder_ live," Crow glared back.

"Glad you two social wonders are getting along so well," I said dryly while turning to the Portal.

"You guys coming?"

They nodded and took a step towards me, their shoulders brushing. They immediately exchanged vicious looks and it took me several minutes and a few whacks with the blunt end of my lion sword to get their attention again. At this rate, facing the Empress would be the least of our worries…

* * *

"There," I breathed a sigh of relief when I found a vase filled with sand and my clothes returned to their normal colors. Crow and Prince were still giving each other the silent treatment, but at least they weren't at each other's throats, which was more than I had dared to hope for. We walked through the Tower like an odd mockery of the three musketeers, though instead of 'all for one, and one for all,' the motto seemed to be: 'one for Alex, and I'll kill _you_ when she's not looking'. Maybe we wouldn't have to fight the Empress: maybe we just had to show up, do a bunch of weird Power Ranger poses and she'd laugh herself to death. I know _I_ would… 

"The activation turnstile is up there," Crow pointed at a large clock mechanism. It would take us hours to climb up there, but there were certain advantages to having a winged demon in your team.

"Would you mind?" I asked him.

"I will see what I can do," he nodded and with a loud screech, changed into his avian form and flew up the mechanism and through a hatch.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to get used to that," Prince cringed, then turned to me.

"What were you _thinking_?! You truly love that thing?"

"Yes."

"What if he turns on us?"

"He won't."

"How can you be so certain?" the Prince argued. "He was created to kill any intruders! It is his sole purpose in life!"

"I don't know about _you_, Prince," I spat, "But I create my _own_ purpose and I'm pretty sure he's intelligent enough to do the same. Are _you_?"

"But… the idea of allying with one of those creatures…" he shook his head. "It is _unfathomable_."

"What about me, huh?" I smirked playfully.

"That's different," he argued.

"How?" I asked.

"You are no threat," he grinned teasingly. That cheeky little…

"Hey, I could totally kick your ass! Now is just not a good time for me…"

He laughed and looked at the hatch where Crow had gone through. A strange, distant look appeared in his eyes. Almost… sad.

"I lost Farah because I failed to trust her when it mattered most," he said after a long silence. "As much as I despise that vile creature, I can't bring myself to talk you into making the same mistake. But still… he is no kind and gentle natured woman like Farah. He is a coldhearted warrior, a minion of the Empress trained to kill without feeling even the slightest trace of remorse. If, unlike Farah, his feelings indeed turn out to be false, the consequences will be much more dire. Are you absolutely certain you're willing to take that risk?"

"Without a doubt."

"Alright then," he gave in. "Just make sure he doesn't kill us in our sleep."

"Thanks Prince, You won't regret it," I smiled and hugged him.

"Something tells me I will," he mumbled but returned the gesture non the less.

Suddenly both of us had a brief vision of the giant door again. The second lock slowly opened and access to the throne room was finally granted.

"I guess this is it," I gulped as the birds returned and turned back into Crow.

"We must make haste," Prince stated. "It is vital we reach the Empress before the hourglass runs out."

He turned to Crow.

"I assume you have seen her before, demon. How will we recognize her?"

"Though she has powers beyond our comprehension, my former mistress looks very much like one of your kind. She has long, dark hair and eyes of an unnatural shade of green. She dresses in long red robes and her skill with the blade has yet to be matched. She listens to the name Kaileena, though only Shahdee, her right hand, was ever allowed to address her that way."

Prince and I froze, our mouths opening and closing like that of a goldfish. No way… it couldn't be…

"STUMPY IS THE EMPRESS?!"


	26. Can’t we talk this over?

**A/N:** Woohoo! This one was fun to write! Eye of the tiger!!! Writing action always gets me hyped up! XD

Enjoy!

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**Chapter**** 26: Can't we talk this over?**

"So that's how you found me back in that tree," I said to Crow, my face pale. "Kaileena told you, didn't she?"

"Correct," he nodded. "I thought you were aware of her identity? Did you not fight her?"

"No, we only talked… Oh, man, I thought she was just a priestess or something!" I buried my face in my hands and groaned. "I'm SO incredibly screwed…"

"Likely, she preferred letting her minions do the dirty work," Prince mused. "This may work in our advantage, since it appears the Empress wants to avoid entering combat herself. We might be able to reason with her."

"Uhm… I don't think that's going to work," I sweatdropped. "Not anymore…"

"What do you mean?" the royal narrowed his eyes.

"Well," I twiddled my thumbs. "It is possible that I…ahem… voiced a few rather insulting assumptions about the Empress' possible physical appearance."

"Translation?"

"I kinda said I believed the Empress was the Dahaka's sister."

"ALEX!!!"

"Hey, come on! I don't think she took it that bad! After all, she did give me this cool sword. Check it out!" I swished it around and put my hand over my mouth. "Luke… I am your father!"

"My name isn't 'Luke'," Prince frowned, completely ruining my joke. "It's–"

"Let me see that sword," Crow interrupted him and grabbed my weapon, closely inspecting the blade. Suddenly, he raised it above his head and smashed it onto the ground… where it broke in half.

"HEY! I was using that!"

"The blade was cursed," he said, looking at the broken sword like it was a venomous snake. "If the two of us had fought one more battle, it would have failed you after a single blow and you would most likely have not survi…"

"Okay, okay, let's skip the details!" I cut him off, trying not to form any mental images. "But now what am I going to do? Without my sword, I'm unarmed! Naked! Completely and utterly defenseless!"

"How is that different from–"

"Don't even go there!"

"Your other self wields a blade similar to mine," Crow said. "Perhaps assuming her form is an option?"

"I'd rather not," I shook my head. "She doesn't just take over my body… Every time I give her control, it's like she corrupts a piece of my mind, one small bit at a time. It's getting more and more difficult to keep her under wraps every time I transform."

"What do you suggest then?" Prince asked.

"I need a new weapon…" I rubbed my chin. "Something cool that's light, sleek, agile, stylish and deadly… kinda like me."

Crow and Prince gave each other a look and sweatdropped.

"Is she always…" Crow started.

"Yes," Prince sighed, putting his forehead in his palm. "Yes, she is."

"I heard that!"

"Stay here and don't let anyone see you," The royal ordered. "We'll scout the area for something you can use to defend yourself."

I quickly scurried behind a boulder, watching them take off in opposite directions.

"Remember!" I shouted after them. "Sleek and deadly!!!"

* * *

"This is a _stick_." 

I looked at the wooden 'weapon' and sweatdropped at it's finders.

"It is all we could find," Crow apologized.

"It's a _stick_."

"It worked for me before on the beach," Prince tried sheepishly, making my jaw drop.

"You were fighting birds!!!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms up in frustration. "How the hell am I going to defeat the Empress of Time with a piece of dead wood?! Give her splinters?!"

"We'll look for a weapons rack on our way to the Throne Room."

"We better," I shuddered. "Because we still have to get out of the Clock Tower and I don't think those Golems will be very intimidated by this oversized toothpick."

"Let's make haste then," Prince said. "We do not have much time before the hourglass runs out."

"How are the sands created anyway?" I asked Crow, who shook his head.

"I do not know. The Empress has refused to disclose that information and forbade us to ask."

"Weird…"

"Up there!" Prince pointed at an opening in a high wall. "I believe that's the way back to the turnstile room."

"I cannot fly that high in my current form. You will have to climb."

"I had no intention on letting you touch me," Prince glared at him.

"I had no intention of carrying you," Crow glared back. "I was speaking to the girl."

"Why you foul…!"

"Come on Prince, you already have a love interest. Leave mine alone."

The look on his face: my weight in gold. The way his jaw dropped when he realized what I was implying: _his_ weight in gold. The way I doubled over and started laughing hysterically: dumbest move ever.

"Prince, come on! Ack!!! Can't you take a friggin joke?! Ow! Ow! Ow! Let go of my ear! AAAAIIEEE!!! This is no way to treat a lady!!!"

_A few hours later…_

"It's not much… but at least it beats the wooden stick of splintery doom," I muttered while picking up a small dagger that was dropped by probably a Raider or Keeper. I had found some swords, but they were clumsy and too heavy for me to handle… let alone the axes and maces.

We had successfully made it out of the tower and through the Fortress. Prince was looking at a ledge switch, the kind you had to stand on to open a door. Said door was the only thing standing between us and the Hourglass Chamber… and most likely sudden death.

"What should we do when we enter the Throne Room?" I whispered, as if the Empress could hear us through the thick stone.

"Let's just face Kaileena and see how things play out. Hopefully we will be able to talk some sense into her and stop her from creating the sands."

"And if diplomacy doesn't work?"

Prince looked at me, not saying a word.

"Right… forget I asked."

The royal suddenly turned to Crow.

"You, demon, will stay behind."

"WHAT?!" I protested, not believing how he was about to turn on me the very last second. "Prince, you pompous jerk! You said–"

"How do you think the Empress will react when we barge into her domain with one of her minions on our side?!"

"Eh… hurt, betrayed and really pissed off?"

"Exactly," Prince glared, somehow making me feel ten times more stupid than I already did.

"I will stay in the shadows, and intervene if necessary," the sand creature said, though narrowing his gaze at Prince. The look in those glowing eyes… I couldn't help it, but for a brief moment, it made me doubt he really had completely given up his loyalty to his creator. I quickly shook my head, banishing the thought. I was being an idiot, Crow would never stab us in the back like that. He loved me!

… right?

"Time is running low," Prince said to me, about to climb on the ledge switch. "You ready?"

"Hell no!"

"Good, let's go then."

Before I could protest, Crow turned into his bird form and flew up out of sight, hovering just above the door. Prince activated the switch and slowly, entrance to the Hourglass Chamber was granted. We entered the room and my heart skipped a beat when I saw her standing at the top of a large stairway, waiting for us to approach.

"Oh… it's you two," she said almost venomously, her green eyes staring into ours. Oh man… this is it, Alex! Smile friendly, don't make any sudden moves! Keep your cool! Don't freak out!

"I'm surprised you managed to…"

"Don't try anything funny, lady! I play violent videogames! Eye of the tiger!!! Battle formation!!! Kaaameeehaaa…… OWW!!!"

"What!?"

"Nothing!" Prince quickly said, cutting me off by elbowing me in the ribs. Oooh, if a fight broke out, that prick was going to discover a whole new meaning to the term 'friendly fire'…

"We know you're the Empress of Time," he stated, clearly shocking the woman.

"How did you find out?!" She asked with wide eyes, but the royal refused to answer her question.

"It doesn't matter how we learned about your hidden identity. Just know that we don't mean you any harm! We don't want to kill you!"

"Even if you don't want to kill me, you will! The timeline commands it!"

"So what?! Screw the timeline! What has it ever done for you?" I squeaked, still gasping for air.

"You!" she hissed, making me yelp and shrink back behind the Persian Prince. "Ever since you arrived in this world, I have been plagued by visions of a dark and shadowy figure that came to claim my life! And suddenly, my soldiers are spotting a dark-skinned demon making her way through the Garden Tower!"

"I control Isra! Not the other way around!"

"So their suspicions have been correct! You _are_ her!"

"Wait a minute… you didn't know for sure?"

"I do now."

"Oh, crap…"

"It doesn't have to end this way!" Prince yelled when Kaileena summoned two large and quite sharp looking blades. Oh man, oh man, oh man… this was getting out of hand!

"He's right!" I shouted in a futile attempt to get through her thick skull. "Can't we just enter your throne room and sit down? Just listen to us! We don't have to fight!"

"Yes we do!" she bellowed in an unearthly voice while floating up in a roaring tempest of sand, her eyes blazing with bottled up anger and pain from having to watch her own demise growing closer each passing day. I'd feel sorry for her, but I was too occupied with not getting turned inside out and hung out to dry.

"All my life I have know that what was written in the timeline could not be changed! But like you, I have chosen fight my fate!"

"I meant that in a figurative way of speech!" I yelped when two clouds of sand formed beside her and took the shape of two female… well, I don't know _what_ they were, but they were well over two meters tall and not looking too friendly.

Okay, now things were _really_ getting out of hand! Where was Crow?!

I feverishly looked around, but there was no sign of the avian demon. Oh, no…

"Alex! Watch your back!"

I heard Prince's warning a split second before being slammed into the ground. With lightning reflexes, I brought up my dagger and blocked one of them from striking my neck. The other one had gone after Prince, who was barely holding his own. I heard him gasp, and the sound of his blade clattering onto the stone tiles.

"Prince! Hold on!" I yelled, then turned my head sideways and looked up at Kaileena.

"I wanted to talk this over, I really did!" I growled angry, my eyes glowing yellow. "But you asked for it, lady!"

With a loud cry, the creature was blown away from me as I got up and transformed into my dark counterpart. My anger fuelled her greatly, though it wasn't enough to break the threshold… _yet_. It was only by a very thin thread, but I was still clinging onto my own mind with all my might and, though barely, managed to stay in control.

I made quick work of the first creature, the hurried over to Prince and freed him from his attacker.

"Alex, what are you doing?!" he exclaimed, looking at my new form. "It's too dangerous to use outside of an emergency!"

"**Well, I'd say this pretty much qualifies as one,"** I said dryly, pointing at a fuming Kaileena, who was charging at us at breakneck speed, surrounded by a howling whirlwind of sand.

"Agreed," Prince sweatdropped, picking up his sword and getting into a fighting stance. Unfortunately, both of us were on the floor again only five seconds later, face down.

"This does not bode well," Prince groaned, slowly getting to his knees while Kaileena was taking her sweet time gloating and informing us of our impending doom, like a good end boss should.

"**Just you wait…"** I said, my voice muffled by the ground. **"I'll get her next time… as soon as I can feel my legs again."**

"We could use some help," the royal noted bitterly. "But as I suspected, it appears your friend has betrayed…"

He trailed off when he noticed my eyes were locked on the door as I slowly got up. It was shaking and moving up a few centimeters before dropping down again. A few angry shrieks could be heard, as well as the sound of a blade repeatedly striking the other side of the stone slab.

"I take back my words," Prince said, a hint of genuine respect in his voice, but also dread. And I knew why…

"Something is wrong!" he worried. "The door! Why won't it open!?"

"**Because Crow has been created lightweight to fly!"** I panicked, horrible realization finally dawning on me. **"He's not heavy enough to push down the switch!"**

Kaileena rushed at us again, but Prince caught her by surprise, slowed down time, and flung the woman away.

"**Prince, there's another switch on this side of the door! Use it! I'll keep Stumpy off your back!"**

"Alex, she's gone completely berserk! You won't be able to defeat her on your own! You stand on the ledge while I do battle!"

"**I'm too light to move that thing. Besides that, I don't have to **_**beat**_** her,"** I looked grimly at the royal. **"I just have to keep her busy until you use that muscled, heavyweight body of yours to bring in reinforcements. It's the only chance we got! Now hurry up before this strike of suicidal heroism passes and I regain my sanity again! GO!!!"**

Prince hesitated, then nodded and made his way to the ledge switch. I turned to the Empress, preparing to seriously get my butt kicked. I don't know if it was my presence that had somehow altered this part of the game, but even without having played it before, I knew something was wrong. Even for end boss standards, Kaileena's power was off the scale! A final battle should be hard, but not impossible for the main character to win. Prince should've been able to beat her on his own, but she had blocked nearly all his attacks and kicked him around like a football! Apparently, the game had adapted to three main characters rather than one, and increased Kaileena's strength accordingly.

This would not end well…


	27. A terrible mistake

**A/N:** Sorry I didn't have time to answer all your reviews, I've been busy (and still am!).

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 27: A terrible mistake**

"**Stay away from me you freakin'**** psycho!"**

I stumbled backwards, barely dodging Kaileena's strike. I was a lot stronger in my current form, but not even close to matching the Empress of Time. Yet, for some reason she wasn't the biggest of my worries.

Isra was playful, mischievous and rarely passed on an opportunity to make perverted comments or mock my failtastic battle skills. Yet, ever since Crow joined the team, she had barely spoken to me. I had expected her to have a field day, or at least chuckle and make smooching noises every now and then.

My dark side was definitely up to something and I didn't like it one bit.

_"I'm probably digging my own grave here, but why are you keeping so calm? You're not nearly fighting as hard to get control over my mind as you used to,"_ I mentally asked while zigzagging between a newly spawned set of monsters and swinging my sword around like an idiot. Unfortunately, Isra stayed silent, creeping me out to no end.

"_Hey! Earth to corrupt other self! Are you __still breathing?"_

"**Hmm…"**

I blinked at her disinterested response. Oh, she was SO hiding something.

"**I'm just saving my energy, that's all."**

"_You mean you're just biding your time until you can turn on me and take over my body…"_

"**Oh please,"** she snorted. **"I have zero interest in your less-than-stellar physique, Miss Couch potato. Not anymore, that is…"**

That comment stopped me dead in my tracks, causing me to miss an incoming kick from the Empress. I quickly snapped out of it and made a run for the hourglass, trying to keep her attention focused on me while Prince feverishly tried to work the uncooperative switch. Apparently, the game had designated the Hourglass Chamber as the new 'end boss' area and sealed off the way back.

"_What? You're going to tell me that you now have some kind of greater plan?"_

"**Maybe… maybe not… Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, now would I?"**

"_Yes, you would…"_

"**You know me too well," **she smirked. **"Okay, I'll give you a hint: I was indirectly created by the Empress, through one of her sand creatures."**

"_Yes, and?"_

"**Let's just say I did a little digging through my subconscious and discovered I inherited a few rather interesting memories. **_**Very**_** interesting."**

"_Crow has been created by the Empress as well. What can you possibly know that he doesn't?"_

"**The Crow Master has a body, while most of the time I am merely leeching of yours. You'd be surprised about the lack of mental ****limitations when not confined by flesh. I don't have to search my mind; I **_**AM**_** my mind!"**

"_You're __OUT__ of your mind if you think I'm going to let you do whatever it is you're planning. Save your energy all you want; once this is over, I'm never turning into you again! Ever!"_

"**We'll see about that,"** she said darkly. **"We'll see…"**

I felt her chilling presence fade away, but before I had time to ponder her words, I was almost beheaded by certain pissed off Empress of Time. I ducked behind the Hourglass, moving one step right when she moved one step right and so on.

"**Why are you trying to kill me!?"** I yelled, making sure to keep the legendary artefact between us as a shield. **"I don't want to hurt you! If this is about the curtains…"**

"I have no choice!" she snapped, taking a surprise step to the left and lashing out at me with one of her blades, missing my arm by a lot less than I would've liked.

"**There is always a choice!"** I snapped back. **"You don't have to…"**

I trailed off when I looked into her eyes. Maybe it was the light playing tricks on me, but for a second I could've sworn they flashed blue. They say eyes are the window to the soul and when ours met, a vision appeared in my mind. I could see a young woman with a cheerful smile, dressed in a pair of white jeans and a red blouse. Next I saw a market… a strange necklace… and then I suddenly jolted back to reality.

Kaileena blinked and shook her head. She looked dazed, as if she was waking up from a bad dream. Then her eyes flashed green again and more determined than ever, she charged at me with everything she had. With a startled cry, I backed away when one of her blades scraped my cheek, leaving a rather nasty cut. It healed quickly, but the pain distracted me long enough to drop my guard and leave myself open to a merciless onslaught of attacks.

I fought against my own panic and yelled at her to stop. Unfortunately, the Empress had completely lost it, her eyes blazing with rage and something that could only be defines as pure bloodlust. Rather than calculated and precise, she was now fighting like a cornered animal with absolutely nothing to lose.

And then it happened.

With a furious battle cry, she landed a flying kick on my chest, sending me crashing into one of the save fountains. As I collided with the stone structure, it broke into pieces and it's contents poured over my fallen form. Before I realized what was going on, the water made contact with my skin and I changed back to my normal form, including crappy fighting skills and even crappier weapon.

I didn't think of changing back. I couldn't even think at all! I just lay there slumped down under the rubble of the broken fountain, suffering from the concussion from hell and hoping the world would stop spinning soon.

Hearing the Empress of Nutcases approach, I shakily tried to get up, but was quickly knocked down again, my bruised and broken body protesting fiercely against a second attempt.

I was road kill.

"It's better that it ends here," Kaileena raised her blades above my fallen form, preparing to land the final blow. "For all of us."

"Indeed," a voice suddenly spoke as the Empress' eyes widened in shock and, trembling, she dropped the blades at her feet.

I looked up and saw Crow standing behind the Empress. My gaze lowered to her chest where his sword was sticking out, her royal dress staining with blood.

"What…" she choked, taking a few staggering steps away from us and then sinking to her knees. "How…"

"A shadowy figure…" I whispered hoarsely while Prince sprinkled some healing sands from his amulet on my body and helped me up. "It wasn't me… it was him…"

"You are all fools…" Kaileena gasped with her dying breath, clutching her fatal wound. "No matter what you do, you still fail! Just as I have tried… and just… as I… have failed…"

The woman collapsed on the floor, her lifeless gaze resting on the empty Hourglass.

"I am sorry… Empress…" Crow said, bowing his head in respect. He wearily floated over to her body to close her eyes, but before he could reach it, it exploded in a blinding flash of light, blowing us across the chamber.

"Is… is it over?" I asked nervously.

"I think it is," Prince said, relief evident in his voice. "The sands of time have not been created, thus I will never have released them, and this entire journey to the island of time will never have happened, including your arrival, since that game of yours has probably been erased from existence as well."

"I'm trying to understand… but my head is hurting… and your weird Star Trek space-time paradox theories aren't helping…"

"Don't think about it too much, It'll only get worse," the royal said with a small smile.

"The Dahaka… it should no longer have quarrel with us," Crow stated slowly. "But with the Empress gone…"

"I'm stuck in this world forever," I finished for him with a heavy sigh. "What am I going to do? I can't stay on this island!"

"Why not? With their mistress gone, others of my kind will no longer bear hostility to you. The fortress is ours."

"That's not it," I shook my head, feeling a heavy pull at my heart. "I might have the body of a sand creature, but deep down inside I'm still flesh and blood. I _need_ to return to civilisation and have contact with other human beings or I'll slowly go insane! I can't spend the rest of my life in the Garden Tower, Crow… I just can't."

"Come with me to Babylon then," Prince suggested. "You can live with me in the Palace and have everything your heart desires. And rest assured that I will convince the citizens to accept you as one of their own. No harm will come to you."

"You're totally hitting on me, aren't you?" I sweatdropped at which Prince smiled.

"I care for you, Alex, but only as a friend," he said, then turned to Crow when he saw hesitation appearing on my face.

"Your battle skills are impressive, demon, and I know my father would gladly add a skilled warrior like you to his royal army. Can we interest you in journeying with us back to Babylon?"

"I suppose… there will be little left for me on this island once you leave," he agreed and for a very brief moment I could've sworn I saw him smile.

"It is settled then," Prince nodded. "Let us return to the present and leave these cursed grounds."

"Right behind you, sand boy," I sheathed my dagger and followed the two men to a nearby Portal Room. If only I had known our troubles had not ended… but only just begun.


	28. The Mask of the Wraith

**A/N:** This chapter is a bit shorter than others, but I expect a very busy week and I didn't want to leave you hanging for too long in case I don't get a chance to update. This is also the start of the second story arc! You didn't think it was over, did you?

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**Chapter 28: The Mask of the Wraith**

"Don't worry about Isra," Prince said after I told him about her strange behavior. "Once we have returned to Babylon, I will have our greatest mages search for a way to remove her presence from your mind. You should be fine as long as you don't let her take over again."

"I suppose…" I sighed, not entirely at ease yet. After my last transformation, her power had grown substantially, to the point where I doubted I was actually still in control or if she was just pulling my leg by playing possum. My dark side had stopped fighting entirely and when Isra feigned weakness, that usually meant she was about to bite your head off.

I took a breath of fresh air to calm my nerves: we had made it outside and were now standing on a cliff, looking out over the beach. It was quiet, not even the sea itself seemed to make a noise. It was almost like the entire world was holding its breath, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Hey, Crow… you alright?" I looked up at the avian demon who was standing beside me on the cliff. He had been awfully quiet and was frowning.

"Something is off," he stated, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Yeah, I can feel it too," I suppressed a shudder, now knowing I was not just being paranoid. As sand creatures, we shared a connection with the Island and our instincts were telling us that something was wrong.

"You two are only making each other nervous," Prince dismissed our worried glances. "Come on, it's time to find a way off this rock."

He had barely spoken those words, when suddenly the ground started trembling under our feet and the environment was drained of its color…

"No… No! No! NO!" Prince's face paled in sheer terror as the Dahaka suddenly burst through a rusted gate, its tentacles swaying menacingly like they had lives of their own.

I didn't even have time to scream before a leathery tendril wrapped itself around my foot and flung me inside the broken castle walls. Crow and Prince followed shortly after, crash landing next to me on cold stone floor. There was no time to look around or check for injuries, escape the only thing on our minds. We barely managed to scramble to our feet and race down a passage before the Dahaka jumped through the opening and followed us in hot pursuit.

"Why the flying four-letter-word is that thing still here?!" I shouted at the Royal, whose eyes were wide with panic. That alone already told me that he had no idea either.

"I killed the Empress before she had the chance to create the Sands of Time," Crow shook his head in confusion, and I was startled to actually hear fear in his voice. "The creature should no longer pursue us!"

"Oh man, I knew we should've checked her pulse!" I panicked. "They always forget to do that in those crappy horror movies where the hero dies!"

"No, Kaileena perished!" Prince panted, running out of breath. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Tell that to the Terminator back there!" I yelped as I ducked underneath a lashing black tentacle.

We ran through the passage at breakneck speed, leaping over chasms, swinging from bars and jumping over obstacles until we reached a curtain that allowed us to slide down to a lower platform. While doing so, my feet hit a wall switch and a heavy, solid metal door opened. We leaped for the doorway and dived through, seconds before it closed again.

We jumped as the Dahaka hammered violently against the barrier, furiously trying to smash his way inside. We backed away from the door, praying it would hold. I only now realized I had been clinging to Crow and holding his arm in a death grip, but he was too distraught to even notice. Either that, or he simply didn't mind.

I couldn't help but realize that, had I tried this earlier after sunrise, I would've been dead thirty times over by now. Still… it didn't feel like we were… I couldn't even say it. Lovers? No, far from it. We had kissed and shared a brief hug, but that was it. No words of love had been exchanged. They had been implied, yes, but not exchanged.

Saying you know what love is, is not the same as saying "I love you". Saying you might as well fall to your death because you can't bring yourself to fight, is not the same as saying "I love you". I wished he would say those words and remove any trace of doubt that still gnawed at me, but yet I could not even bring myself to make the first move.

But I couldn't keep 'gathering courage' forever, for death was literally knocking at our door. I wanted him to know. I wanted to speak those three words out loud before one of us died. So why couldn't I just suck in a deep breath, open my mouth and _say_ it?

"How did this happen?" Prince paced around the tomb feverously. "Where did we go wrong?"

We all stood still, trying to recall the events as they had passed. Kaileena was about to kill me, Crow struck her with his sword and finally, she died and exploded in a golden cloud of…

Oh no.

Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no…

All of us seemed to have reached the same horrible conclusion simultaneously. We looked up at each other, our faces contorted in horror.

"The Empress…. She didn't _create_ the sands… she _was_ the sands!" I stammered, leaning onto Crow for support as I felt my legs give way.

"We are… the architects of our own destruction…" Prince sighed, slumping to the ground in defeat.

"It is true then," Crow said. "What is written in the timeline, cannot be changed."

The three of us were startled when the Dahaka suddenly appeared above us, stomping down on a grate that covered the skylight.

"Fine!" Prince yelled at the beast. "Come for us then!"

"You stay right where you are, you creep!" I protested. "Don't listen to sand boy! He's talking crazy talk!"

I turned to Crow in exasperation.

"Are you going to smack him upside the head, or should I?"

"Tempting as your proposition sounds, I fear the Prince is right. The sands have been created and the Dahaka will not stop until he has eliminated those responsible from the Timeline. Fleeing would be a futile effort."

"But… we… I mean… come on, you guys!" I tried desperately. "There has to be _something_ we can…"

The look on their faces said it all. We could run, but we could not hide. The Dahaka would chase us down until the end of time itself and no matter what we did, we would never be free.

I gritted my teeth and struggled to fight back tears. This wasn't fair! I didn't _ask_ to be sent here! I wasn't ready to die!!!

"Well, alright then you bastard!" I yelled, though the Dahaka was long gone, no doubt looking for another way in. "I'm done running! If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you get! Bring it on!!!"

I got in front of a wall and threw a few punches at my shadow as a warm-up. I got a little overenthusiastic though, and my fist collided painfully with the stone surface.

"OW! OW! OW!" I yelped. "Dammit, that hurt!"

After a few minutes of whimpering and cradling my bruised knuckles, I looked up rather annoyed, wondering when I was going to be shown a little sympathy around here. The men, however, only had eyes for the wall, which for some reason had started glowing after I had touched it.

"It's… writing!" Prince stated with surprise.

"Let all who read this, know of the courage and valor of those who fought and fell for the Maharaja…" Crow started reading the strange symbols, and as he continued to speak, we were overtaken by a blurry vision.

One of the soldiers was trying to take the Hourglass, but was killed by a Raider. Then, the scene was played again. The soldier was killed once more, but this time, the Raider was slain as it gloated over the body of his victim by a mysterious figure. The figure then ripped off something that looked like a mask from his face, and revealed himself to be the unfortunate soldier…

"This mural…" I whispered. "It shows the impossible!"

"The Mask of the Wraith let those who wear it travel back in time and change their fate," Crow concluded.

"There may still be hope," Prince mused.

As if on cue, the guardian of the Timeline started pounding on a weaker part of the wall, on the verge of breaking through.

"You had your chance to take us," Prince shouted, heading towards an exit. "You won't get another!"

I gave the Dahaka the finger (he couldn't see me do it anyway) and quickly followed Crow and the royal.

By some miracle, we were given a second chance… And this time, I wasn't going to blow it.


	29. Enemy of my enemy

**A/N:** I started a side story to 'Gamer Within', called: 'Gamer Within: A Bird's Eye View'. I would've called it Birds-eye, but for some reason the site does not allow dashes in a story title. Oh well…

It's basically 'Gamer Within', but rewritten from Crow's point of view. Updates on that one will be slower, since it's more of a side project and I can't let it 'run ahead' of the original story.

'Gamer Within' is currently standing at 198 reviews, which is much more than I would have dared to hope for. I don't write for the reviews, but I do love to get them and read what people think. Thanks everyone! You guys know how to motivate me!

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**Chapter 29: Enemy of my enemy**

I looked around the caves we had entered after finally losing the Dahaka. They were dusty, dark and smelled suspiciously like feet.

"Uh guys, I don't know about you, but I'd like to get out of here and find the Mask," I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"I am not entirely familiar with this part of the Fortress," Crow said. "But I believe we are close to the Library."

"Kaileena has a library?" I frowned. "How did she get the books? Somehow I don't see her leaving the Island to buy them."

"They were already present, like the rest of the Fortress."

"I thought the Empress build this place," Prince wondered, but Crow shook his head.

"The Fortress and many of its marvels have been here since the dawn of time. Not even the Empress herself knows how it came to be. It just is, has and always will be."

"Speaking about Kaileena… do her eyes change color sometimes? I know it sounds weird, but I could've sworn they flashed blue for a moment during our fight and she was acting a bit spaced out too. It only lasted about five seconds or so though…"

"I do not recall a change in the Empress' appearance."

I didn't press on, but I couldn't shake it off either. Those blue eyes, in combination with my strange vision, kept bugging me to no end. I tried to recall the image again: a modern young woman dressed in white denim jeans and a red blouse, wandering around the market and suddenly stopping to inspect an odd necklace. I couldn't get a good look at her face, but something told me she and Kaileena were in fact the same. But how was this possible?! This whole situation was beginning to look more and more like a twisted game of connect-the-dots and I was nowhere near setting a new highscore.

Then, there was Isra. She obviously knew something I didn't, and it annoyed the hell out of me. She had been pretty predictable up until our fight with the Empress, but now I had no idea what she was up to. She hardly talked to me anymore, and had stopped trying to take over my body. Isra hated being trapped in the back of my mind with a passion, so for her to stop fussing and save her energy like this, it would take _a lot_ to motivate her. But I knew she hadn't given up, oh no… she was just biding her time. I could feel it. And I didn't like it one bit.

We made it through the Fortress pretty fast, mostly thanks to Crow. His ability to fly saved us a lot of time, traps and headaches. He and Prince were also getting along a lot better. Though they still weren't exactly best of buds, their hate had turned into tolerance and tolerance was slowly but surely turning into mutual respect. I still kept a close eye on them though…

"We have arrived at the Library," he suddenly said, snapping me out of my musings.

Prince opened the gate and we stepped inside, looking around in awe. Never… never in my life had I seen so much literature!

"Amazing…" Prince marveled. "So many books! What secrets they must contain!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," I sweatdropped when I took one from a bookcase and glanced at the cover. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? She's still reading that one?"

A particularly evil idea that the Vizier would be proud of struck me, and using a bit of soot from one of the candles, I quickly wrote something in the back. Revenge was mine!

"What did you write there?" the royal asked, snatching the book out of my hands while I was still grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Dumbledore kicks the bucket? What is that supposed to-"

Before he could finish his question, a cry suddenly echoed through the library halls and out of nowhere, three masked women and one fat guy in leather bondage outfits (whom I later learned were Executioners) jumped from a higher platform and landed right next to us. Prince got into a fighting stance, but battle seemed to be the last thing on their minds.

"That thing is right behind us!" one of female Executioners hissed, panic visible in her eyes. "There is no escape!"

"Uhm, excuse me…" I tried meekly, but they continued to ignore us.

"There must be! I remember a secret niche! It has to be around here somewhere!" one of the other women objected.

"Ah, hello? Aren't you suppose to attack us, or maybe…"

"We must not allow that creature to leave and harm the Empress!" the only male Executioner gritted his teeth, his eyes darting left and right. "But if we fall here, no one will be left to warn-"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU NAKED GUYS TALKING ABOUT!?" I suddenly yelled, tired of being treated like air. They looked at me with wide eyes, but a loud growl caught our attention and it was a growl the three of us knew all too well.

"Crap!" I cursed under my breath, looking for a way out.

"This bookcase… I believe it can be moved," Crow said and we frantically started pulling at one side.

The other sand creatures exchanged suspicious glances, but quickly realizing that this was no time to lunge at each others throats, they grabbed the other side and pushed with all their might.

Slowly but surely, the heavy bookcase started sliding to the left, revealing a secret space behind. Skipping the Dexter's Laboratory wisecracks for now, I weaseled my way through the narrow opening, the others following close behind. The fat guy was the last to enter and, with great effort, shoved the bookcase back in place. Seconds after he had done so, the ground shook as the Dahaka landed on our balcony.

"Yeht era erehw?" he roared, and I just prayed he wouldn't find our hiding place. It was dark, but my glowing tattoos gave off just enough light to see the confused and worried looks on the Executioner's faces. Having been stationed far away from the Towers, I doubted they had heard the news about their fallen comrades and the cause of their deaths.

"Ugly out there is called 'the Dahaka'" I whispered to one of the women, deciding it was better to explain now while they weren't attacking us… yet.

"It is a demonic beast, created to remove those who have no place in the Timeline," Crow added and it seemed that only now they suddenly realized who they were dealing with.

"Crow Master? Aren't you supposed to guard the Garden Tower? From _those_ intruders!?" she pointed at us with murder in her eyes.

"Keep your voice down lady, or we'll ALL gonna be pushing up daisies when that thing hears you!" I hissed, glaring back at the scantily clad woman. Earlier she would have terrified me, but after having faced Prince, Crow, the Dahaka and the friggin _Empress of Time_, it was going to take a lot more than a nasty scowl by some sand bimbo in a leotard to intimidate me.

"Besides that… there is nothing left to guard," Prince said uneasily and the male Executioner raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that, my Prince?" he growled, his eyes narrowing at us.

"Well, let me put it this way," I started, trying to break the news as gently as I could. "Everyone who still has an Empress to obey, please step forward… No, not you guys."

"What do you…" his eyes widened and I could see realization crashing onto him like a pile of bricks. Tact never really was one of my strong suits…

"But we're gonna fix it!" I quickly whispered, earning myself even more murderous looks.

"You slaughtered the Empress! Robbed us of our purpose!" the women hissed, and I could see she was just itching to grab her blades.

"And you!" she suddenly turned to Crow. "Why have you joined them? You betrayed us all!"

"Fools!" he growled at her and I was startled by the tone of his voice. "Do you not see how blinded you are? We were crafted by the Empress to protect her, and nothing else. Nothing! We were merely cannon fodder in her losing battle against fate!"

"Does the Prince not desire to thwart death as well? Is his quest not a fools one then?"

"Perhaps. But the Prince of Persia is not a tyrant. He and the girl have earned my loyalty instead of simply creating it. The Empress no longer has control over me."

'And I happen to love said girl,' I added mentally to his sentence, a bit disappointed he had not said a word about it. Okay, I would've killed him if he went all sappy and embarrassed me in front of Prince and the Executioners like that, but still…

"You said you are going to 'fix' your mistake? How? _Why_?!" one of the women suddenly snapped at me and I sighed, telling her about our fight with Kaileena and the creation of the Sands of Time. I also gave them a quick Dahaka 101 and told them about our quest to find the Mask of the Wraith.

"The Empress… she _is_ the sands?" they asked with wide eyes and I nodded.

"Afraid so, but if we can stop our past selves from killing her, the sands will never be created, Prince will never travel to the Island of Time, and none of us will have big, black and gruesome on their tail!"

"Your plan will not work," she said, shaking her head. "Don't you see? The Empress was fated to die. If this 'Dahaka' is truly the guardian of the Timeline, will he not pursue her once you have declared peace?"

I turned white as a sheet when her words suddenly sunk in and Prince had to clamp a hand over my mouth to stop me from shouting every swearword in the dictionary.

"It is hopeless then," the other woman hung her head and slumped to the ground. "If we dispose of you intruders, the Dahaka will kill us and the Empress. If we do not, it will simply pursue _everyone_. No matter what we do, our mistress will perish and the rest of us will soon meet her fate."

"No…" Prince growled. "There must be a way! We've come too far to fail!"

"Unless…"

We turned to the Male Executioner, who had been quiet for a while and seemed to be in deep thought.

"Unless… we find a way to defeat the Dahaka itself."

"Good luck with _that_," I sweatdropped, but he ignored me and it was as if a little light bulb suddenly lit up above his head.

"A few days ago, I was patrolling the Library halls, when a strange book caught my attention. I was drawn to it, almost as if it was calling me. I took it from the bookcase and read about a mystical weapon, only said to exist in legends and tales from long gone times. It is called the 'Water Sword' and is said to contain the power to slay demons and defy the sands themselves. Myths and folklore suggest that the sacred blade is sealed away in the very foundation of the Fortress, created even before the Empress of Time herself."

"That sword… if it exists, it may have the power to kill the Dahaka," Crow said.

"But how are we going to find it?" I scratched the back of my head.

"The legend says that when enemies become friends and friends become allies, the blade will reveal itself after nine challenges have been completed."

"Nine… Of course! How could I not have noticed!" Prince suddenly said. "During my quest, I have found several secret passages filled with deadly traps. On the end of every corridor, there was a strange device that, once activated, granted me incredible strength and energy. I found five of these in total, corresponding with five strange glowing symbols on the floor of the Hourglass Chamber. There were four other symbols, but these were still unlit at the time of our battle with the Empress."

"Logic dictates that if all nine are lit, the weapon will appear," Crow stated. "And if the Prince found these passages throughout his entire quest, it apparently does not matter whether the devices are activated in the past or the present."

"According to the book, the Water Sword is not confined by the boundaries of time," the Executioner nodded.

"Well, I say we go for it," I decided. "If I learned one thing from playing videogames, it's that myths are never just myths. That Water Sword is out there somewhere and it just might be our ticket out of this mess!"

"The enemy of our enemy is our friend," the sand creatures agreed. "You will find the Mask of the Wraith and we will mobilize the others to seek out the remaining four activation devices so the blade may reveal itself to you. It is not bound by time, so using the Mask should not undo our efforts."

"Excellent," Prince nodded. "But first we must find a way to get past the Dahaka."

"You think he's still out there?" I asked, then jumped when he let out a loud roar and stomped on the ground. I could hear books falling from the shelves and prayed the bookcase itself would stay in one piece.

"Em ot emoc! Htaed ruoy ot emoc!"

"What did he say?" I whispered to Crow, who looked slightly ill.

"You may not wish to know."

"Oh, just peachy…"

"If I slow down time, we might be able to slip under his claws," Prince suggested. "But I only have one sandtank left, so that leaves us very little room for error."

"Eight seconds," I said, remembering the manual that had come with the game. "Do you think it's enough?"

"We will need at least five to move the bookcase, and this will have to be done after the Princes activates his medallion," Crow mused.

"Or the Dahaka will just rip out the entire wall the second he hears us," I shuddered. "But that leaves us with only three seconds to get out before Eye of the Storm wears off! There's no way in hell we'll gain enough distance from El Creepo in that short time!"

"We have no choice but to try," Prince said grimly. "Everyone put their hand on my shoulder and wait for my mark."

I gulped nervously, but did as I was told. The others followed, all of us focused on the Royal.

"NOW!!!"

Prince tapped his medallion and activated Eye of the Storm. The world blurred around us and I felt strange, as if I had gotten up too fast after lying on the sofa all day.

Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation, we all quickly grabbed hold of the bookcase and started pulling. It moved way too slow for my liking and through the small opening, I could see the Dahaka tense up and turn around in slow-motion. How many seconds had passed by now? Five? Six? I fought against a growing panic attack and pulled again with all my might. Finally the opening was large enough to pass through, but we had barely exited the small chamber when I heard a strange sound and the Dahaka growled triumphantly, his tentacles whishing up and down at normal speed. Shiiiiiiit!!!

"Prince's powers have worn off!" one of the female Executioners exclaimed alarmed. "What do we do!?"

"RUN LIKE HELL!!!" I yelled, diving underneath a lashing tendril. Prince grabbed a few books, soaked them in a save fountain and threw them straight at the black demon's ugly head. He howled in agony and covered his face, closing his eerie white eyes shut.

"That should buy us some time," Prince panted when he caught up with us. "But not more than a few seconds at most. We must get out of this place!"

"Follow us!" the Executioners shouted, bolting around a corner and into a corridor.

We ran like our feet were on fire and our asses were catching, the Dahaka following close behind. I did my best to knock over as much stuff as I could on my way to slow the demon down, but he just plowed through the debris like a bulldozer. A mental crazed up bulldozer, that was.

"Over here!"

We followed our strange new allies into a small round space with a turnstile. The male pulled at it and when I peeked outside, I could see a very large and heavy bookcase sliding out of the wall, blocking the Dahaka's path. He growled and roared, pounding on the walls with his fists and stomping furiously on the ground. However, the heavy bookcase was too massive and would not budge. For what seemed like hours we all held our breath, until the racket finally faded away.

"The demon has left, but it will find us again. It always does," Crow said, instinctively reaching for his blade.

"We shall warn the others to leave you be in your quest for the mask," the male Executioner said.

"Ask them to search out the secret passages so the Water Sword will show itself," Prince ordered. "We will press on and find the Mask of the Wraith, so this nightmare may finally come to an end."

The sand creatures nodded and ran away, disappearing into the shadows.

"Let us hope they will succeed," the royal said grimly, then pulled a lever that opened up a tall door.

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder," I mumbled as I followed him into a hallway.

"Alex…"

I blinked when I suddenly heard Crow call me by my name. This had only been the second time he had done so… and the first time I had been seconds away from ripping his head off.

"What's up?" I asked, a bit confused. He stayed silent for a while, then let out an almost inaudible sigh.

"…Never mind. It is not important."

I arched an eyebrow at his odd behavior, but decided to let it slide. We had bigger things to worry about.

Something told me we hadn't seen _anything_ yet…


	30. A second chance

**A/N:** The plot is unfolding! For future chapters, it might be fun to read the earlier ones again. A lot will be explained in the following installments.

On a side note: I got an e-mail from Rhea. She has been very busy and forgot to leave a message. Her private message button was disabled for some reason, she didn't do that herself. I told her I'd tell you guys she wasn't mysteriously abducted by aliens and you can look at her profile for an explanation. There, now we can all sleep again ;)

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**Chapter 30: A second chance**

"AIIEEE!!! Nice doggies! Nice doggies! Down! Down! Down!!!"

I yelped as I ran blindly through the fog of the caves we had entered after leaving the Library. The human-like sand creatures didn't bother us and even offered directions, though none of them knew the exact location of the Mask. The animals though… well, those were less cooperative.

I heard howling, followed by a high-pitched yelp as Prince and Crow killed the wolves that had been stalking us. I tried stabbing around a bit with my small dagger, but all that got me was a dirty look from Prince when I tripped and scraped his leg. But then again, this fog made it almost impossible to see!

"What is WITH this place?!" I complained to Crow, though obviously he couldn't help it.

"I do not know. It is as if the layout of the Fortress has changed somehow. We should not be here."

I wisely stopped complaining, knowing it was probably my presence that had shuffled the whole place out of whack. Suddenly, I spotted a door and a wall switch next to it. I had always activated those in the Garden Tower by throwing stones at them, but I had never tried to push them the normal way. Crow eyed me curiously, as if wondering if I could even do it. Oh, I'd show him!

"Alex, I'm not sure you should-" Prince started, but I had already plowed into the wall and was now hunched over, holding my bleeding nose and using language not suitable when in the presence of small children. I could easily do horizontal wallruns, but the vertical ones, I had yet to master.

"I sfwipped! Hwonesft!!!" I exclaimed undignified as both Crow and the Royal looked at each other and shook their heads. Prince activated the switch and the minute we set foot in the corridor ahead, the door closed shut behind us. I hated it when they did that, the sound always startled me for some reason.

"Look!" Prince suddenly said, pointing at something ahead of us.

"Is that… eww, that had better be a _very_ realistic statue!" I put my hands over my mouth when my eye fell on the rather morbid display. It looked a mummified corpse, curled up in a fetal position. Needless to say I was grossed out on a whole new level, but forgot everything when I saw what our dead buddy was wearing.

"The mask!" I cheered, "We found it! Woohoo!!!"

Ignoring Prince's warnings, I rushed at the artifact, giddy with excitement. This was it, our ticket out of this mess! Alex: 1, Dahaka: 0!

Crow and the Royal caught up with me and took a close look at the Mask, as if it would chew their kneecaps off.

"I suppose… one of us should try it on," Prince mused, eyeing the avian demon.

"That may be unwise," Crow scratched his chin. "The artifact is brimming with power, I can almost feel the dark magic radiating off this object. We do not know the dangers behind it."

"Agreed," Prince nodded. "Let us be extremely cautious and…"

"Hey, guys! Check this out!" I called them, holding the Mask in front of my face. "Tadadadadadadadaaa… BAAATMAAAAAN!!!"

"PUT THAT DOWN!!!" They both yelled at once, snatching the artifact from my hands before I could do my übercool superhero impression.

"Hey, I was using that!" I protested, but they were too busy looking at the inside of the Mask.

"It is writing," Crow stated. "It says that, in order to reclaim one's place in the Timeline, the wearer must see to it that their past self perishes. Only then can the Mask of the Wraith be removed."

"Uh oh…" I gulped when realization dawned on me. "If that thing can only be taken off when the job is done, that means…"

"Only one person can use it at a time," Prince finished for me, his voice dejected.

We searched the room for additional Masks, hoping the game had adapted as it had done before. Unfortunately, this did not seem to be the case. We peered under every rock, behind every curtain and in every crack, but it looked like only one of use would be able to change their fate. There was only one cookie left in the jar and everyone felt too guilty to take it.

"There has to be a way we can all share in its power," Crow took the Mask from Prince, examining it.

"Perhaps… what if we held hands?" I suggested. "Prince's timepowers worked for everyone who was touching him at the moment he activated his medallion. Maybe it'll work for the Mask as well?"

"The artifact seems to contain enough magic to sustain more than one person," Crow nodded. "Let us try it."

He took my right hand and the Prince of Persia took the other.

"Ready?" he asked and we nodded, holding our breath as he brought the Mask up to his face… and the world around us came to an end.

I heard someone screaming and only later realized it was me. I could feel my bones break, my skeletal structure reshaping and my muscles twisting and bending in impossible ways. There was a bright explosion of light and pain as ragged clothes began to wrap themselves around Prince, then slithered over his arm towards my hand and Crow's, covering nearly every part of our bodies. We were levitation in the air and after what seemed like an eternity, fell back to the floor, the transformation finally completed.

"Ugh… remind me to never EVER do that again," I groaned as I rolled on my stomach and slowly got back on my feet. The others up as well and we all froze when we took a good look at our new bodies.

"We… we have become those things!" Prince gasped, his voice distorted and warped.

"What things?" Crow asked, holding his head and leaning against a wall for support.

"Before we entered the Towers, three strange creatures were following our every move. We thought they were perhaps minions of the Empress, but they weren't trying to kill us! They wished to warn us of Kaileena's betrayal! Everything is clear to me now!"

"But in the end, the Dahaka got them!" I panicked. "They died! _WE_ died!!!"

"We must see to it that events unfold differently this time," the Royal stated grimly.

"Our goal should be to reach the Hourglass Chamber and wait for the Water Sword to present itself to us. Let us hope the blade and the activation system are indeed immune to any changes made in the Timeline," Crow said.

"And that Kaileena will remain in the Turnstile Room so we may get hold of the weapon before she discovers it," Prince added. "Killing the Dahaka is in her best interest, but we do not know if she will trust us enough to form an alliance. It would be best if she did not get involved."

"Don't get your hopes up," I muttered, remembering one of the many laws of videogames: the bigger the breasts of a female character, the less likely she is to leave the heroes alone. No exceptions.

We looked around and saw that the explosion had created a hole in the wall, leading us into a long corridor. I had no idea where we were and, unfortunately, neither did Crow. It was as if the Island Layout was changing right underneath our feet. My presence was seriously messing up time and space, and the powerful magical qualities of the mask only seemed to magnify the effects I was having on this world.

Which was actually kinda cool if you thought about it.

Prince tapped on a weak looking spot on the wall and smashed it to pieces with his sword, allowing sunlight to flood the hall. As we stepped outside, we nearly fell over at what we saw.

"The Fortress Entrance?!" I gawked, trying to wrap my mind around it. The corridor was… and we were all the way… how did we _get_ here?!

"We must make haste," Crow urged. "If the layout changes again, we might not be able to find our way back to the Hourglass Chamber."

"Right, let's go before my brain starts oozing out of my ears," I groaned, still racking my head for an explanation.

As we walked towards the entrance, my mind began to wander. What would I do once this was over? Or to be more precise: what would _we_ do? Though it was blatantly obvious how Crow and I felt about each other, neither of us had actually _said_ it. The three simple words "I love you", had yet to pass our lips. And here another videogame law applied: until at least one party admits their feelings out loud, their relationship is doomed to fail. But for some reason, I just couldn't say it… and deep down I knew why.

I was still afraid he didn't love me back. That I had imagined seeing it in his eyes when we last fought. That he had kissed me out of simple curiosity and that, when explaining his definition of the emotion, he had mistaken his own feelings of allegiance to me for something more. How could an artificially created creature like him, possibly know the difference between loyalty and love?

I looked up at the avian demon and opened my mouth… but could not bring myself to ask.

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**A/N:** Author notes at the end of a chapter tend to be read more often than those at the beginning, so I'll put this notice here: I've started a side story named "Gamer Within: A Bird's Eye View". It's a retelling of Gamer Within, but through the eyes of Crow instead. Ever wondered just what exactly is going on in that brain of his? Read the story to find out! 


	31. It was you all along

**A/N**Thanks for all the reviews, as well as the ones I received on "Birds eye view". I'm glad to see I apparently still 'got it'. XD

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**Chapter 31: It was you all along.**

"So, what do we do now?" I turned to Prince as we entered the first Portal Room of the Fortress. "Should we go find our other selves and throw them in a spike pit?"

"That would be unwise," the royal shook his head. "We must make no more changes in the Timeline than absolutely necessary. It would be best to first track them to the point where things went wrong for the 'first' Sand Wraiths and then alter events there."

"That course of action seems to involve the less risk," Crow agreed.

"Let's go then," I decided and prepared to step onto the platform, when Crow held me back.

"Both of you be warned," he said to me and Prince. "Once we return to the past, the Empress' soldiers will no longer remember our alliance and in my current form, it is unlikely I will be able to convince them otherwise. We must prepare for battle."

"There's always _something_, isn't there?" I muttered, eying my small dagger: I wasn't going to do much 'battle' with _that_ tiny butter knife.

I took a deep breath and stepped onto the platform, allowing myself to be transported to the present, the others following shortly after. For a moment I doubted the powers of the Mask had been properly activated, until I heard a familiar cry:

"YOU BITCH!!!"

Uh oh.

Prince and I exchanged panicked looks, but Crow grabbed us and quickly flew up, placing us on a high ledge and out of view from a smirking Shahdee, a furious royal, and… a utterly confused version of myself, propped up against the wall and dressed in a Harem Girl outfit.

We looked at the strange sight and waited until they had used the Portal before following the trio, making sure there was some time between us and them before passing through. If they saw us now, who knew what could happen!

"This is… so…" I mumbled.

"Unsettling?" Prince tried.

"I was going to say 'freaktastic', but yeah," I shuddered. "Those other Wraiths must've been watching us as well back then. We had a group of _stalkers_ and we didn't even know it!"

"The Sacrificial Altar is not far from here," Crow interrupted us. "Let us use beams and pillars to move over their heads and remain unseen. We do not wish them or the Empress' soldiers to be alerted to our presence."

"Agreed," Prince nodded and climbed up a pillar. We followed him and continued to grab, jump and leap our way onward, with a little help from Crow every now and then. He could carry both of us, but only over a short distance. Having to fly around with the extra weight visibly took him a great deal of energy, so we made him save his strength and moved on our own as much as possible.

A shrill shriek suddenly drew our attention, and before we had time to blink, a very familiar roar reached ears.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

I heard myself scream bloody murder and saw her bolting down the corridor beneath us, followed by Prince and a very, very pissed off Guardian of the Timeline.

Wait a minute… wasn't this where…

"Hurry, we can't lose them!" I yelled, running _after_ the Dahaka for a change.

"Alex, what are you-" Prince asked, but I had already left the scene. This is when it happened! Something… something had knocked Prince out and saved me! I would never get this chance again: I had to find out who it was!

I hurried and jumped to a wooden beam, making my way across it as fast as I could and hoping I hadn't missed my own rescue. Boy, wouldn't _that_ be embarrassing.

Taking few shortcuts, I managed to get ahead of my past self and patiently waited at the dreaded ledges: the ones my counterpart had yet to learn how to climb.

I heard footsteps and rustling behind me, and came face to face with two men who were clearly out of breath.

"Alex, why do…"

"Shhh!" I shushed Prince. "I want to see what happens..."

He finally understood and turned his eyes to the platform below. As if on cue, his past self arrived and made it up the ledges and onto the stone tiles that paved the way ahead, looking down at 'past Alex' in desperation.

"Come on! Move it!" he urged impatiently.

"I can't do it!" I heard my counterpart squeak.

She tried to climb the wall, but failed miserably. In the mean time, the Dahaka was closing in on them and time was beginning to run out.

"Use your feet!" the Royal shouted and I didn't even dare to blink, afraid I'd miss anything. Just like I remembered, she slowly but surely managed to get both feet on the ledge.

"Don't stop!" he ordered. "Keep climbing!"

I could see a look of horror spreading across my past self's face as she realized she had three more of those dreaded hurtles to cross. However, before she could move her feet, the environment turned sepia and a black tendril snaked around her waist, yanking her away from the wall.

"This will not end well, perhaps we should interfe-" Crow started, but I silenced him.

"Don't interrupt, someone will save us and like hell am I going to miss it!"

We continued to watch as 'Alex' began to trash wildly and shout for help, desperate to escape. 'Prince' watched helplessly, knowing there was nothing he could do. If he jumped and cut the tendril, he'd fall to his death. But if he missed, the Dahaka would grab him as well. There was no way he could win…

"The beast will devour her, we must-"

"No!"

I tried to look confident, but only grew more nervous as she began to scream at the royal to use his medallion, which I knew had no sands left. What was going on? Why was this happening? Where was my saviour?!

I realized it was already too late when the Dahaka let out a triumphant growl and started to pull my past self in. Seeing no one around but us, I could only look on in horror as my counterpart was killed and history changed before our very eyes…

… or so I thought.

A purple blur whizzed past me and headed for the monstrous demon, cutting through the tendrils and catching the other Alex a split second before she fainted.

"Feathers…?" I heard her mumble, not remembering doing so myself. Then again, I had been pretty out of it.

Wait a minute…

Could it be…?

I felt time crawl down to a halt when my blurred and hazy memories of that day began to resurface. Purple… feathers… someone carrying me to safety…

"So, it was you all along…" I couldn't help but smile wryly as I saw Crow flying away with my other self in his arms, while Prince jumped onto the platform and knocked out his counterpart before he could get a good look at what was going on.

I quickly followed them through a conveniently placed watery curtain, leaving the Dahaka to stay behind and howl in disappointment.

"Let's leave them here," Prince said as we arrived at the entrance to the Sacrificial Altar. "Our past selves should be safe from that demon until they recover, but let us stay in the shadows and watch over them from a distance. We must not take any chances."

I agreed, allowing Crow to fly me up to a narrow opening in the wall, just above the giant doors that blocked the way ahead.

I knew who would be waiting for 'us' there.


	32. Shadows of the past

**A/N:** I wasn't planning on another update so soon, but the plot of this thing is growing a mind of its own and I _had_ to continue writing. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 32: ****Shadows of the past**

All three of us sat in the opening of the wall, staying quiet and hoping past Prince and Alex wouldn't look up. All happened as I remembered: the bickering, my attempt at explaining the concept of a videogame and Kaileena's sudden cry for help. Oh, if only we had known then what we knew now…

Then again… if that had been the case, there would've been a certain someone I would never have met. I loved him… dear god, did I love him! I had been tempted to tell him many times, but every time I opened my mouth to speak, I heard _them_. The old man, warning me of the pain in my heart that would consume me, and Isra, mocking me and every bit of hope I still held that I would have my happy ending.

_You will die._

Yes, I would die, but not like the Old Man had predicted. My _past self_ would kick the bucket and _I_ would be granted a second chance at life. I had come too fair to fail! I was going to live!

_Whatever you do, that heart of yours is going to get broken._

Maybe Isra was right. Maybe Crow would break my heart. But only if I _did_ something, right? If I maintained status quo, so would he. If I never asked, he would never tell.

Then again… wasn't status quo even worse?

I felt something stirring in the back of my mind. Like a dark oil stain, slowly spreading and seeping through every crack and opening it found. I closed my eyes and focused on my inner light, pushing back the darkness that began to well up with every doubt about Crow being able to truly love someone. I knew now I couldn't possibly ask him if he loved me. I could _never_ ask him. The answer would be my downfall…

I know I may sound like a drama queen, but that's really how I felt. This world had a way of emphasizing emotions, good and bad. Whether I felt love, anger or regret, it was always with a blazing intensity I was just barely able to stand. Not having grown up here, I was much more sensitive to the strange effects of this place than 'natives' like the Prince, though I could tell he loved Farah with a fiery passion not found anywhere in my own dimension.

"…should proceed to the… Alex, are you listening?"

I blinked and snapped out of my musings, looking at Prince who eyed me suspiciously.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about stuff…"

I flashed him a sheepish grin and he didn't question me any further. Not because I was such a great actress, but because my other self let out a panicked yelp. She was cornered by a raging Shahdee and dangerously close to receiving a very gruesome lobotomy. I glanced briefly at my dagger and suddenly another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

I leaped to a pillar, making sure no one below spotted me. I then jumped to another pillar, aimed at Shahdee's neck and threw my dagger with a deadly precision that even surprised myself. The woman fell lifelessly to the ground, and just as my counterpart looked up to see who had saved her butt, I quickly leaped to a higher balcony and disappeared from view.

I had saved my own life and I didn't even know it…

"It was you who threw that dagger!" Prince stated with surprise in his voice after he and Crow had caught up with me.

"I guess there may be hope for my aim yet," I grinned, though my expression quickly fell when I realized that I had just flung my only weapon into the depths below. _D-OH!!!_

"Guys, do you think we could make a quick stop by a weapons rack on our way to the Turnstile Room?" I asked sheepishly, but Crow shook his head.

"No need. I recognize this corridor, it leads directly to the Empress' private armory. You can find yourself a suitable blade there."

"Then what are we standing around here for? Let's lock and load!"

I ran down the narrow hallway and opened the massive stone doors at the end, and was instantly blinded by a bright reflective light. Still rubbing my eyes, I set foot in the chamber and when my vision cleared, I could've sworn my heart stopped beating for a moment.

Gold… mountains and mountains of gold, as far as the eye could see, as well as diamonds, pearls and precious ivory, laying scattered around on a marble floor.

"This… is isn't the royal weapons chamber," Crow said confused, hesitantly joining me in the strange room. "The layout must have shifted again."

"This is… most odd…" Prince mumbled, gazing at the wondrous place.

I was a bit surprised at the tone of his voice. I didn't dare to take even a single coin, fearing Kaileena had cursed them like she had done with my Lion Sword. However, I had not expected Prince to hold himself back from looting the place while fantasizing about returning to Babylon with treasure and glory. Why didn't gold fever struck him?

"Something is not right here," he continued suspicious. "What does the Empress want with all these riches? She does not rule a kingdom, she rules time itself! And time has no use for jewels and gold. Nor does she. These things should hold no value to her!"

"Maybe she just likes to collect shiny objects?" I tried, but I could tell he did not agree with my theory.

"Unless… no, that would be ludicrous," Crow shook his head.

"Enlighten us," Prince turned to the avian demon, cocking an eyebrow.

"Unless… the Empress is planning on conquest," Crow mused, hesitation in his voice.

"You mean she needs this stuff for bribing people?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Offering vast riches does tend to make things run more smoothly, as it did when my father attempted to seize India with the help of that treacherous vizier," Prince nodded grimly, balling his fists.

"The Empress does not desire power," Crow argued. "She is neutral, like time itself. She cares not for the world of men."

"I don't think she's neutral, Crow," I said. "I don't know why, but for some reason I feel uncomfortable around her. Like there was something… evil. I can't really explain it."

"I will admit… the Empress has not always been this hostile to those who set foot on her island."

Both mine and Prince's eyes widened.

"What are you saying?" the royal asked.

"Long ago, before your time, the Empress used to be gentle and kind. She cut herself off from the world of men, but those who occasionally washed up on our shores, were fed, clothed and healed before being transported back to homelands with their memories erased. But as time passed, the Empress grew bitter and grim. We do not know what caused this gradual change, nor were we able to stop it. And as she grew more dark, so did the soldiers she had created, and our own memories of compassion began to blur. It was then, that she started having visions about the Prince and the monstrous demon that was pursuing him."

"But _you_ still remember," Prince asked suspiciously.

"Vaguely… very, very vaguely," Crow mumbled, and I felt slightly concerned when his eyes seemed to glaze over. This wasn't like him at all…

"I remember… helping a few men salvage what was left of their cargo… providing food to a young child… using healing herbs on a group of wounded…but it is hard… those memories have been reduced to mere shadows, faint whispers in the back of my head. They have been quiet for hundreds of years, but the girl… she somehow sparked them once more."

"But why _you_?" Prince pressed. "Why do the others not remember?"

"I am… flawed. I was the first creature of the sands created by her hands. Highly resistant to magic and designed to be a warrior, as intelligent as the birds she had grown fond of. But with a warrior's spirit came strength, honor and a mind of my own. This worried her greatly: she believed that creating more of my kind would put her at risk, should one of us rebel. She began to craft new soldiers, each generation less… 'humane' and more brutal than their predecessors. Blade Dancers, Executioners, Raiders, Keepers, Silhouettes… and after that, only soulless beasts like Golems and Spike beasts which were bent on nothing but death and mindless destruction."

"So she hasn't always been like this…" I mused. "I wonder what happened to her?"

"I do not recall," Crow said. "But there is no magic in your world, and your presence seems to have a cancelling effect on whatever spell the Empress has bestowed on me. Perhaps in time, my memories will return."

"Enough of these delays," Prince interrupted us. "Let us search for a suitable weapon and continue our trek. We do not have much time before our past selves reach the Turnstile Room and we must get to Kaileena before they do."

We nodded and split up, each one of us combing out a part of the treasure room. There were some swords laying around , but they were made out of fragile gems and soft gold, and therefore useless in battle. I furrowed my brow and continued to search, when I suddenly felt strangely drawn to a small silver chest, hidden in the shadow of a large marble column. I walked up to it, hypnotized by it's irresistible siren song: a song only I seemed to hear. As if in trance, I slowly opened the small chest and felt my breath hitch in my throat at what I saw lying on the maroon colored velvet lining.

My hands trembling, I grasped the tiny object, awestruck by it's sheer aura of power. I gazed at the slender blue blade, marveled at the silver hilt and admired the intricate patterns carved in the precious metal.

I had found the most powerful of all weapons. More powerful than my old Lion Sword, more powerful than Crow's Kerena blade. And it had called for me and me alone.

_The Dagger of Time…_

"Alex, we found you a sword! It's not very strong, but it should do against most foes."

When Prince's voice reached my ears, I snapped out of my trance and quickly hid the Dagger under my belt. I felt bad for keeping such a secret from them, but Prince would never let me take the magical blade and something told me I was going to need it.

"Here!" he called and tossed me the weapon. It was a rather small sword, and looked a bit rusty at some spots. Then again, it was better than nothing.

When I thought that, I could feel the Dagger giving off a warm glow, as if comforting me somehow. Like it tried to tell me everything would be alright and that it would protect me as if it had been ordered to do so. A strange calm overtook me, and for one fleeting moment, all doubt vanished and I was absolutely sure:

This magical blade was _mine_.


	33. Flesh and blood, part I

**A/N: **Part I, you say? Yes, that's right, it's a two-part chapter. All cool stories have one XD. I'll be uploading part two shortly and it's going to be a huge turning point in the story. Especially since a certain someone will finally make her reappearance again… hehehe ;)

Enjoy!

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**Flesh and blood, part I**

The Dagger of Time… When I fell under its spell, I became drunk with power and stupidly decided to take the blade for myself. But it had felt like the weapon was rightfully mine. As if it had been calling me. It would certainly explain a lot, or at least why elements from the Sands of Time kept popping up at random. Like the universe had been trying to send me a message or something cliché like that.

I felt the Dagger brushing against my leg, but I wasn't worried about accidentally activating it: its powers were useless with the Sands of Time still trapped inside the Empress' body. I was worried about Prince though: if he caught even once glimpse of the blue blade, he'd go absolutely bonkers! It was probably better if I kept this particular little secret to myself…

We exited through the other side of the treasure room and after walking down a narrow hall (both Prince and Crow had to keep their heads down, much to my amusement), finally reached open space again. Well, open space… it was basically another hole in a wall, but there was a ledge beneath us that allowed us to stand upright.

"Finally!" Prince exclaimed in relief, stretching his cramped limbs. "What possessed Kaileena to craft such an impossible narrow passage?"

"This corridor was not made for tall males such as ourselves," Crow explained. "It was created for the petite and slender Blade Dancers, allowing them to sneak up on their opponents, seemingly appearing out of nowhere."

"I was wondering how they did that," I said, joining them on the ledge. I looked out over the scene below, a strange sensation of déjà vu overcoming me. I recognized this place…

Suddenly, a panicked cry echoed through the Fortress and I knew just where, or rather when, I had seen this area before.

I turned my head in the direction of the screams and saw my past self and her royal companion bolting our way, only to run into a dead end, next to a giant stone door that could only be opened by standing on a ledge switch.

I felt my stomach turn when I saw Past Prince jump on the switch, my past self joining him in an attempt to push it down faster. A growl alerted me to the Dahaka closing in fast on his prey, but the door was moving at a painstakingly slow pace. Oh god… they weren't going to make it!!!

I wanted to jump down and join them on the switch, but Prince held me back seconds before I leaped to my doom.

"Alex, no! This is where it happened! This is where the Sand Wraiths… where _we_ died! Time has to be changed here. We must not let them pass!"

I came back to my senses, remembering what had happened that unfaithful day. But things would be different this time. This time… I _would_ change my fate.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly to my past self and re-entered the corridor with the two males, seconds before the Dahaka appeared on the scene. I heard a pair of startled cries, a triumphant roar and then… nothing.

They had perished in our place…

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick," I mumbled with my hands over my mouth.

"We did what had to be done," Prince stated grimly. "By ensuring our own survival instead of theirs, we have finally broken the circle, rather than dooming yet another version of ourselves to the curse of the Mask. Hope has finally been restored."

"Speaking of the Mask, mind taking that thing off? It's getting a bit stuffy underneath all these ribbons."

"Ah, of course," the royal nodded and pulled at his face… only to let out a frustrated growl.

"Something is wrong… it won't come off! Why won't it come off?!"

"Lemme try," I said, grabbing his ears and yanking them as hard as I could, ignoring his protests. Despite my best efforts though, the Mask of the Wraith was still stuck on his face as if someone had put glue on the inside. I half expected a sand creature to pop up out of nowhere and giggle: "April Fools!", but needless to say, that didn't happen.

"I don't understand," Prince continued to feverishly claw at his face. "Our past selves died! The curse of the Mask should be lifted! Where did we go wrong?!"

"You two did not go wrong," Crow said, a look of dread on his face. "I did."

"What do you… Oh no… no, no, no!" Prince gasped with wide eyes when realization hit both of us like a ton of bricks: Unlike ours, Crow's past self was still alive and kicking. He had not joined us until much later, and was currently still happily prancing through the Garden Tower, unaware of our presence.

Uh oh…

"Who's there?" we suddenly heard Kaileena call from the Turnstile Room. The doors had closed again, but she had apparently re-opened them from her side. Double uh oh!

"We must return to the Garden Tower!" the Royal whispered, glancing down at the confused Empress of Time. "We must make all three of us perish! Only then will the Mask come off!"

"How are we going to get _up_ there?" I whispered back, hoping that 'Stumpy' wouldn't hear me. "Kaileena still has the Serpent Sword! We can't activate the turnstile without it and it's too high for Crow to carry us!"

"No, I believe… I believe I can make it. If I concentrate all my energy and both of you hold very still, I might be able to fly us to the entrance."

"Are you nuts?!" I hissed with wide eyes. "It's, like, five stories up! There's no way you can make it with us weighing you down! You'll collapse before we're even halfway there!"

"Do you have an alternative in mind then?"

I thought long and hard, but couldn't come up with a better plan. We needed the Serpent Sword to activate the Turnstile and it wasn't like we could just waltz up to the Empress of friggin' Time and politely ask her to fork it over.

"I see no other way either," Prince said. "We have no choice but to risk it and pray to the gods the avian demon will not grow tired and let us plummet to our deaths."

"You're_ really_ not helping…" I sweatdropped, but I knew this was our only chance. I gulped and climbed back on the ledge, pressing my back against the wall. Kaileena was still blocking the doorway, but then took a few steps forwards, her unearthly green eyes darting left and right.

"Who's there!" she shouted. "Show yourselves!"

"NOW!!!" Prince cried, and with that word, my brain went offline and I blindly leaped off the ledge, making a mad dash for the Turnstile Room. Kaileena had no idea what hit her… that is, until I tripped over my own feet, twisted my ankle, and plowed right into her chest.

"Uh, sorry about that!" I stammered nervously and tried to continue running, but she grabbed my arm and glared daggers at me. Oh great, she was going to kill me on the spot and my story would go down in history, labeled: "Klutz of Persia: The Pervert of Time".

"What are you?" she hissed, a murderous look in her eyes.

"Well, eh.. ah… that is to say… LOOK!!! IT'S THE PRINCE!!! AND HE'S SHIRTLESS!!!"

Evil or not, the Empress was still a woman, and judging by her reaction, a heterosexual one. As she turned her head away from me, I grabbed her arm and bit down as hard as I could, forcing her to let go of mine.

"You little brat!" she cried, but I had already bolted through the doorway and left her to bite my dust.

"Hurry!" I yelled at Crow, who grabbed us and flew up to the Garden Tower entrance.

Kaileena ran after me into the Turnstile room, looking up at us in shock. I could see her close her eyes and a faint golden aura surrounded her being. No doubt she was warning every sand creature in a ten mile radius of these new 'intruders', not daring to use her powers on us and revealing her own identity just yet. Oh, if only she knew…

I clung tightly to Crow and closed my eyes shut, not daring to look down as we slowly made our ascend.

"It is not much further now," I heard Prince encourage the quickly tiring warrior. "Stay focused!"

"I… will try," he breathed heavily, but a quick peek through my eyelashes told me that we were only two thirds there. I yelped when he suddenly dropped and barely managed to stop himself from falling into the chasm below.

"Prince, he's not going to make it!" I squeaked. "Use your medallion!"

"How will that help us?!" he argued, then gasped as Crow dangerously began to sway.

"The sand may give him an energy boost! Do it! It's the only chance we got!"

The royal fumbled with the magical item and a golden cloud of dust was released and absorbed by the avian demon. As if suddenly activating a secret pair of rocket boots, he suddenly shot up and flew through the entrance, crash-landing on the lush grass that grew abundant throughout the Garden Tower.

"We… we made it!" Prince breathed, obviously grateful to be standing on solid ground again.

"The… way down… should be… easier…" Crow panted, and leaned against a pillar for support. He looked brownish and was leaking sand, a sign that that he was severely weakened. Even with that power up, he had still lost a great deal of energy and was barely able to stand.

"You should hide and regain your strength, demon," Prince ordered. "You are in no condition to do battle. Alex and I shall deal with your counterpart. If we work together, coordinate our attacks well, the two of us should be able to gain the upper hand."

"Right, no biggie," I gulped, forcing myself to smile. Oh, we were SO going to die…

"Are you sure you wish to join the Prince?" Crow asked me, but I knew I couldn't hesitate. I didn't want Crow to think I needed him around to protect me. In his current state, he was too exhausted to defend _himself_, let alone _me_.

"No problem," I tried not to show my nervousness. "Just leave it to us, we'll be back before you know it. You stay here and rest, okay?"

"If you insist," he gave in and turned into his avian form, flying into a tall tree with dense foliage.

"Well, guess it's up to us, huh?" I sheepishly grinned at Prince while we jumped to a higher platform and continued our trek.

"Indeed. Keep your eyes open and stay close to me. Together we can easily take that demon down, but things will be very difficult, should we get separated. I might be able to defeat him on my own, but I doubt the same can be said for you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I sweatdropped, sticking out my tongue at him when he looked away.

"I saw that, you know…"

"Damn…"

He rolled his eyes at me, but in a playful manner. Or maybe he just wanted it to look that way. With Prince, you could never really tell. Or maybe I just sucked at 'reading' men. Take that strange look that had suddenly appeared on his face, for example. What did it mean? His eyes had turned to pinpricks and he kept frantically pointing at something behind my back. I had no idea what he…

Oh, hell.

"RUN!" Prince yelled at me, but as usual, I was already way ahead of the royal.

"Why is that thing here?!" I shrieked while dodging the Dahaka's lashing tentacles. "How did he recognize us?"

"It just _did_!" Prince shouted back. "Do you not think I have tried to disguise myself before?!"

"Maybe you just did a lousy job! Like those hairy male Sailormoon cosplayers you sometimes see at the…"

My rambling was cut off when the ground suddenly began crumble away under our feet. With a loud shriek I plummeted into the depth below, but instinctively grabbed hold of a tree root protruding from the wall. Prince crash-landed on a lower platform on the other side of the newly formed ravine, but he only had a few cuts and bruises. He would be fine after drinking a few sips of water.

The Dahaka was clinging to the edge of the platform, but a vicious jab from the royal's sword was enough to make him release his grip and disappear into the seemingly bottomless pit, a howl of anger echoing through the Garden Tower.

"Alex, are you okay?" Prince shouted at me after losing the monstrous demon.

"Yeah, I think so! But I don't think I can get to you from here! I can't swing in your direction and it's way too far to jump!" I shouted back, looking up nervously. That tree root had better hold…

"There's a narrow beam behind you, leading to what looks like an underground passage! Swing towards it and find your way back to the surface! We shall regroup there!"

Seeing no other way out, I turned around and did as he suggested. I didn't like where this was going… I didn't like where this was going at ALL. Everyone knows that when the hero and his sidekick split up, bad things tend to happen. Then again, this was a videogame, not a horror movie. Farah had been left alone plenty of times and it never killed her, right?

Oh, wait a minute… it did.

Crap…

I walked through the dark passage and fortunately, found a way back to the outside world. I set foot on the moist grass, thankful for the fresh air. I could see why Kaileena liked coming to this part of the Fortress. It was like a giant park, only with rabid sand creatures instead of shrieking children. I wasn't sure if one was really more annoying than the other though…

I quickly ducked behind a bush, my eyes darting left and right. If I wanted to make it out of here alive with all my limbs still attached to my body, I had to stay sharp and alert. Or at least screw up as little as possible.

"Seize the intruder!!!"

Well, so much for _that_ idea…

I turned around, realizing a little too late that I had hidden on the wrong side of the foliage. Stealth was never really one of my strong suits…

I barely managed to dodge a swing from an angry Keeper, only to see two Silhouettes emerging from the shadows.

"Just like your own shadow, girl, you will never be free of us!" they hissed and flung a seemingly endless supply of knifes at me. Just where did they keep those things anyway?!

Knowing when I was outnumbered, outgunned and about to have my butt handed to me, I quickly jumped out of the way and leaped for a pillar, gliding down before they could unleash a second wave.

I leaped to a rope and swung myself to a lower platform, landing gracefully on my feet. Ninja-esk skills +1!

"I'm not here to hurt you!"

Ninja-esk senses -10…

"Can't you guys cut me some friggin' slack here?!" I protested, barely blocking the Blade Dancer's sneak attack.

"There's so much pleasure in pain," she moaned as she tried to take another swing at me.

"Then why the hell are you trying to hurt _ME?!_" I shrieked, evading her assault. "Go throw yourself in a spike pit or something!"

I ducked under her weapon and pushed her over the edge of the platform. Unfortunately, this prompted five _more_ Blade Dancers to come out of hiding, each one of them grinning like spiders who had just found a fly trapped in their web. Oh, this really wasn't my day…

The next two hours were spend doing what I had done the last five minutes. Running, shrieking and trying not to get disemboweled. I managed to lose the sand creature lynch mob, but when I stopped to gather my surroundings, I realized I had absolutely no friggin' clue where I was, or which direction I had came from. How was Prince going to find me now?!

I leaned against a tree, and took a deep breath to calm myself down. I wasn't going to panic, oh no. I was going to take a coolheaded approach to this minor set-back and think of a plan to get back to the entrance, knowing that the royal would most likely look for me there.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down my spine and a dark shadow loomed over me from behind. I heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and felt all blood drain from my face as a watery, almost mechanical voice spoke up. A voice I knew all too well…

"Rise up, girl," the towering figure ordered. "I want to win with honor!"

Then again, perhaps coolheadedness was overrated…


	34. Flesh and blood, part II

**A/N:** You're going to _kill_ me for the upcoming cliffhanger, but I'll take the risk. Enjoy! XD

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**Chapter 34: Flesh and blood, part II**

I turned around and froze when I came eye to eye with Crow's evil past self. I had tried to push those memories to the back of my mind, telling myself he wasn't like that anymore and I no longer needed to be worried. But now… everything came back to me, and I was completely paralyzed with fear. I recovered only a split second before he raised his blade and took a vicious swing at my neck, which I barely managed to block.

I was afraid he'd kill me if I lost this fight, but was even more afraid that I couldn't kill him if I somehow won. The logical part of me argued that this wasn't the Crow I loved: this was just a demon who looked like him. That I had to fight back and finish him off, or else all hope would be lost. That this was simply something that _had_ to be done.

Unfortunately, my emotional side didn't buy it.

"You are going to have to try harder, if you hope to best me," he said, his blade clashing with mine.

"I'm working on it!" I squeaked, nervously eyeing his sword. Oh man, what was I going to do?! I had to kill him… but how could I possibly do that?! Breathe, Alex, breathe… you can do this… you can do this!

I_ so_ couldn't do this…

No! I had to snap out of it and fight back! It was the only way to lift the curse of the Mask and change the Timeline! It was the only way to save us all!!!

With a loud cry, I pushed him back and took a swing with my own rusty weapon, sending him staggering backwards. He was startled by my sudden assault and wide open for a devastating blow to the chest. However, I failed to follow through and use the element of surprise. I tried, I really did, but when our eyes met again, I hesitated and missed the brief window of opportunity that had presented itself to me.

With a furious scowl, he blocked my half-hearted attack and launched one of his own. A silvery flash zoomed through the air and it took me a good few seconds to realize he had struck my arm. The cut was only superficial, the brunt of the damage taken by the thick strokes of fabric that covered my skin, but it made my blood run cold no less. This was serious: if I didn't get my act together fast, he'd kill me without a second thought. There was no room for doubt or half-assing around. I was currently fighting two battles at the same time: one on the outside and one within. My concentration kept lapsing, and I knew that if I didn't focus my energy soon, I would lose them both.

I looked at the avian demon, and silently made a decision. He looked like Crow, sounded like Crow and fought like Crow, but he wasn't_ him_. This demon, this shadow of the past, would die no matter what. Either I could kill him, or I could let him kill me, only for the Dahaka to show up and finish what I had started. If I failed now, everyone, friend or foe, would perish at that monster's hands. But if I succeeded, the Timeline would be changed for the better. Not just in my favor, but in his as well. The mask would finally come off, the vicious cycle would be broken, and his death would never even have taken place.

I would change our fate… and _the Crow Master_ sure as hell wasn't going to stand in our way!

"I find this display of weakness surprising," he mocked, but I bared my teeth at him, determined to show him just how 'weak' I was.

"Bite me!" I snapped, and charged at him with breakneck speed… only to be grabbed by my wrist and flung into a wall. Oh man… not this again!

I got up as fast as I could and ducked under his weapon, the blade missing my head by little more than a hair. I wasn't afraid though, oh no… I was _pissed_! And my anger was growing every passing second. Hadn't I been through _enough_?! Hadn't I _earned_ my happy ending by now?!

I let out a furious roar and blindly slashed at the demon. Maybe I hit him, maybe I didn't, but I no longer cared. My vision turned red and I was taken over by sheer rage. My already intense emotions were being amplified even more by this strange world, and when I saw nothing in his eyes but a desire to kill, something inside me snapped. I forgot that this was just a past version of Crow. That the present version was no longer loyal to the Empress, and patiently waiting at the entrance for my return. I could only feel raw, white-hot anger when my hazy mind reached the conclusion that he had apparently betrayed me, that not even after sunset he would stay by my side. That I had been stupid to believe a creature like him could love…

I vaguely realized that I hadn't bothered to defend myself, pouring all of my energy in a relentless offense. I was covered in deep cuts and leaking sand with every move, but adrenaline kept me going without even feeling a hint of pain. Unfortunately, I was so blinded with fury that I couldn't properly focus my energy. My strikes were vicious, but imprecise and easily dodged. My punches and kicks were fast, but poorly executed and lacked the power to do any serious harm. When I did manage to get a lucky shot in, it was often just aimed at a random point on his body, rather than a vulnerable spot where it could do the most damage.

I stayed in berserk mode for a good 15 minutes, but eventually the adrenaline rush wore off. The clouds in my mind began to dissipate and when I slowly came back to my senses, my muscles suddenly gave out.

"I… hate… this dimension… so friggin' much…" I breathed heavily, holding onto a pillar for support. Now that I could finally think clearly again, I realized why I had lost it. I had not been mad at the avian demon, but had projected my own amped up feelings of insecurity and doubt at him. To be honest, I felt much better now and incredibly relieved… that is, until I realized that Crow was barely scathed, while I couldn't even feel my legs.

This would not end well…

"A valiant effort," he commended, "but I am not impressed."

"Oh, y-you just w-wait and s-see!" I retorted weakly, trying to raise my sword and failing. "A-all f-f-five of y-you!"

I tried to stay focused, but my vision was bleary, the world was spinning and my muscles stubbornly refused to obey my brain's commands. My energy had been completely drained and I was fighting a losing battle to stay on my feet, let alone defend myself. I just wanted to sleep…

I gritted my teeth, determined not to give up. I had already lowered the bar from 'kick butt' to 'try not to suck' to 'stay somewhat alive until Prince finds me'. If I wanted to achieve any of those goals though, I still had to at least _try_ to put up a fight. Come on, limbs! Move!

The avian demon watched me with mild curiosity as I struggled to keep my balance and slowly made my way to a small vase near the edge of the platform. His eyes widened when he suddenly realized what I was about to do, but it was already too late. I raised my sword and smashed the object to pieces, absorbing the sands it had held within. It wasn't much, but it was enough to heal the most serious of my injuries.

"Back to square one, eh?" I grinned sheepishly at him.

"Witty banter will not save you, intruder," he glared at me, menacingly brandishing his blade. "You are only putting off the inevitable."

"Well, it was worth a shot," I sighed, getting into a defensive stance. Witty banter… my thoughts returned to our previous fights and what they had eventually turned into. A memory of our kiss in the Portal Room resurfaced in my mind and my face turned bright red. No, Alex! Bad girl! Now is not the time for that!

"Let us continue this," Crow ordered. "I am not finished yet."

"Ur... eh…yeah… right, where were we again?" I stammered stupidly, hoping he couldn't see me blushing underneath these mummy-like wrappings. Doubt began to creep up on me again and my hands were trembling so much that I almost dropped my blade. But I couldn't hesitate now… could I?

I tried to ignore my emotions and focus on the task ahead, when the ground suddenly began to shake underneath our feet. The environment lost its color and before he could even utter a sound, Crow was seized by a jagged black tendril as the Dahaka crashed through the wall. I was flung back by the sheer force of the explosion, and crashed into a rock formation, rubble covering my fallen form. I heard an unearthly shriek, a satisfied growl and heavy footsteps moving away while I lied hidden under the debris in shock.

It had happened so fast… he never even saw it coming. Neither did I, for that matter. A warm glow surrounded me as the dusty grey ribbons dissolved and I slowly transformed back into my true form. Prince had managed to take off the Mask, meaning that Crow had indeed perished.

I began to shake, realization dawning on me. He was dead. The Dahaka had killed him. _I_ had killed him… I had… I had…

My eyes widened and my pupils turned to pinpricks, tears running over my face. A small part of me knew that, technically, he hadn't died, since the Timeline had now been changed for the better. But I had seen the look of fear on his face. I had heard his death cry. And I had just let it happen…

Something overwhelmed me. It was a mix of grief, anger… _everything_. Something clawed at the back of my mind, a darkness that began to eat away at my consciousness, fighting to free itself from the prison that was my body. The gash on my abdomen began to glow with a blinding light, followed by searing pain that felt like I was being ripped in two. I knew I had to stop whatever horrible being was forming out of the dark wisps of smoke that seeped from every pore of my body, but whatever it was, it had simply grown too powerful to control.

I pushed the rubble off of me, slowly getting back to my feet and staring at the dark cloud in front of me, which was starting to take shape. Feathers were flying everywhere and the wind howled in a way that made my skin crawl with dread. I knew… I knew what was happening… but I couldn't believe my own eyes.

"**Hello, Alex,"** the figure spoke, a menacing grin on her face.** "So nice to be able to finally see you eye to eye. It was getting rather cramped in that scrawny body of yours."**

"Isra…" I stammered, frozen on the spot. "But you… you didn't… I thought… _how?!_"

I was too dazed and bewildered to move, let alone form a coherent sentence, the line: 'this isn't happening!' repeating over and over again in my head.

"**You thought I was gone, didn't you?"** she suddenly snapped, grabbing me by the front of my sweater.

Wait a minute… sweater?!

I had no time to dwell on the strange 'wardrobe glitch', because she yanked me towards her, her nose almost touching mine.

"Well, yeah…kinda…?" I stuttered, my mind still trying to wrap itself around the fact that I was standing face to face with my evil other self. If my eyes had bulged out of my head any further, they would've fallen out of their sockets.

"**Well, think again, hon,"** she smirked at me, flashing a pair of razor-sharp canines.

"How did you escape?" I finally managed to ask, my head still reeling.

"**I almost **_**didn't**_**,"** Isra growled, roughly throwing me on the ground where I landed flat on my butt.

"**You still don't get it, do you? I am the darkness to your light! What makes you weaker, makes me stronger! ****Every fight you barely survived, every grain of self-doubt that gnawed at your spirit, every time you felt sadness, anger, pain! They drained you of your energy, but only fueled me even more! I thrived on your failures, fed on your fears! I was SO close to finally gathering enough strength to sustain a physical form of my own! But then HE had to interfere, didn't he?"**

Her eyes blazed with sheer hatred, and if looks could kill, I would've ended up as little more than a pile of ash.

"**Love… if something makes me sick to my stomach, it's love! Compassion! Friendship! Loyalty!"** she spat the words as if talking about something repulsive and vile. **"He comforted you! Protected you! Poisoned your mind with false hope! Poisoned **_**me**_**!!! I had to sleep nearly all day, conserving what little energy I had left, while your newfound positive energy continued to sap my strength away with every passing minute! But at the very last moment, when oblivion was about to claim me for good, you began to doubt him… oh, how good that negativity felt! And seeing your **_**precious boyfriend**_**,"** she rolled her eyes sarcastically at those words, **"die before your very eyes, was just enough to give me the final little push I needed to break free of that embarrassingly weak shell you call your body! I shall no longer dance to the tunes you play! I am finally free, and I guarantee you, that wretched Crow Master shall be the first to perish! Oh, he'll **_**rue**_** the day he returned that kiss and…"**

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM, YOU BITCH!!!" I exploded in anger, dashing forward and punching her straight in the kisser. But the minute my fist made contact with her skin, a searing pain shot through my nose and I could feel it begin to bleed.

"**Nice try,"** she grinned smugly, **"but we are still two halves of one being. Whatever harm comes to me, will come to you, so I suggest you keep your temper in check until I become whole. Then I shall dispose of you as well."**

"Over my dead body!" I yelled defiantly, then mentally smacked myself for that rather stupid choice of words. Did I _want_ to give her any ideas?!

"**Oh, I intend to,"** Isra laughed darkly.**"Don't you see? I am stronger! Faster! Better! I am everything you could have been, had it not been for your foolish ethics! I shall take great joy in ridding myself of you, the last tangible trace of my weakness, but doing so now would be suicide. We are yin and yang, darkness and light. We can't survive without the other, until I find a second dark half and complete our separation. Then the world shall be mine to rule!"**

"Like hell it will!" I hissed, balling my fist and blinking in surprise when I discovered that my skin felt surprisingly soft.

I looked down at my hand and froze at the spot. My skin was no longer a sickly brownish grey, but a healthy pink instead. Rather than Blade Dancer pants and an improvised top made out of Crow's costume, I was now wearing simple blue jeans, a worn down grey sweater and a pair of red sneakers covered in old mud stains I had been too lazy to clean off. My hair was no longer long, straight and jet-black, but murky blond, messy and barely reached past my chin. I didn't have a mirror on hand, but if I had, I would've been staring into a pair of blue eyes, rather than yellow ones.

I was no longer a sand creature…

"**Ah, I see you discovered the side effects of our little break-up,"** Isra chirped almost happily. **"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I needed those sands of yours to form a body of my own. I'll make sure to put their qualities to much better use."**

I looked at Isra…

Then at my hand…

Back at Isra again…

And fainted.


	35. Equinox

**A/N: **Part one of "Gamer Within" is coming to a close! Only one, maybe two chapters to go! It's been so much fun to write and I would like to thank all loyal reviewers for bearing with me XD. I just hope I can pull off a decent "grand finale". The pressure… the pressure! XD

**P.S:** Part one may be coming to a close, but the story is far from over. A sequel is in the making!

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**Chapter 35: ****Equinox**

"Do you believe this human is the girl?"

I heard a distant voice and groggily opened my eyes. Ugh… did someone get the number of that bus!?

"I'm not sure," another voice said. "Her clothes do look rather odd, as if she does not belong in this timeframe."

"Hey!" I protested, now fully awake. "Jeans never go out of style!"

"It's her alright," the voice I now recognized as Prince said dryly.

"What happened?" Crow asked, looking at me as if not quite sure what to do. I just hoped my human appearance wouldn't trigger some kind of dormant sand creature killer instinct or something like that.

"_Isra_ happened, that's what," I said grimly, getting back on my feet. "She escaped, using my sand to form a body of her own."

"The curse of the Mask has been lifted," Crow noted. "Did my past…"

"Yes," I cut him off, sounding harsher than I had intended. "I don't want to talk about it."

I felt horrible for letting his past self die and wanted to hug the avian demon, but on the other hand I was still a bit jumpy, seeing as his mirror image had tried to kill me, making me relive a rather dark chapter of our odd relationship. It was just too weird…

"Isra is on the loose with a body of her own," Prince recapped, furrowing his brow. "This does not bode well. What is she planning?"

I sighed, telling them what happened, though leaving out certain details. I really did not want them to know I had cried like a baby. These two were strong, seasoned warriors! I already looked enough like a total wuss as it was. I didn't want them to think I couldn't be tough like them. I guess part of me still was afraid they would decide I was nothing but a fifth wheel on the wagon, only slowing them down or getting in their way. I would prove my worth even if it killed me!

At the rate things were going, it probably would… But there was something I needed to say first before kicking the bucket. Something I had been putting off for way too long.

"I love you," I mumbled quickly, my face bright red.

"Did you say something?" Crow asked, but instead of gathering the courage to repeat my words, I worked up a forced smile and shook my head. I couldn't do it…

"Nothing," I answered, sighing inwardly. I'd tell him later, when the time was right. When that would be, I had yet to figure out.

"She is searching for another 'dark half' to become complete," Prince spoke up. "Who could that be? It can not be the demon, she wishes to kill him. And I highly doubt it is me."

"_Everyone_ has a dark side, Prince," I reminded him. "Why can't it be you?"

"I'm not sure, but I believe it's more likely she'll seek out someone of her own gender."

"But then that just leaves…"

Another vision flashed before my eyes. I could see that women from before, the one in the white jeans and red blouse. My vision blurred and she was suddenly sitting on what looked like a throne, dressed in ocean blue robes that, other than the color, looked exactly like those of the Empress of Time. I suddenly heard her screaming, saw a dark figure smiling cruelly in the shadows, and was faced with a pair of warm, gentle blue eyes, slowly turning green and filling with a cold evil that made my skin crawl. Oh no… no, no, no!!!

"Kaileena…" I choked, all blood draining from my face. "She's after Kaileena!"

"But how do you-"

"I don't know! I guess we still share a link or something until the separation is complete! But we have to stop her! Now!!!"

"Isra knows better than to kill Kaileena," Prince disagreed. "Destroying the Empress will give birth to the Sands of Time. There is no way she would risk that."

"Isra doesn't want to nuke the Empress, she want to merge with her dark side!" I argued, then made a face when I realized just how gross and incredibly _wrong_ that had sounded. "I believe… I believe that the Empress has an 'Isra' of her own, and that maybe we haven't even seen the _real_ Kaileena yet."

"But even if that's true, Isra would have to find a way to forcefully separate the Empress' dark side without killing the host and freeing the Sands. That's impossible!"

"No, it is not," Crow said hoarsely, his face white as a sheet. I took me a moment to realize that he wasn't just grossed out like me… he was downright terrified!

"Crow, what… dear god, you're _shaking!_"

He was swaying and I barely managed to catch him as he fell to his knees. He was uttering gibberish, his eyes clouded and wild with confusion.

"Prince, he's ill!" I panicked, holding the convulsing demon as tightly as I could. "Do something!"

"Like what?! I am not a mage! I do not know how to treat a creature such as him!"

I looked back at Crow, staring directly into his eyes.

"Crow," I addressed him sternly, "look at me… look at me! Focus on the sound of my voice! Stay with us!!!"

"I… I am back," he suddenly sighed, going limp in my arms.

"Back?" Prince asked, ignoring my glare. "Where have you been?"

"The past," he said weakly. "The girl…she triggered another vision."

"That was _no_ normal friggin vision!" I all but yelled at him when he slowly got up again. "I thought you were going to die on me!"

"The Water Sword," he suddenly exclaimed, getting up and ignoring my outburst. "We must not allow Isra to obtain it! It will be the end of us all!"

"The Water Sword!?" My eyes bulged out of my head. "What the hell does she want with that thing? Fight the Dahaka herself!?"

"**That sounds like fun, but I think I'll pass,"** a voice suddenly came from above, freezing us all.

"What the… KAILEENA!!! NO!!!" Prince gasped when we looked up and saw Isra standing on a cliff above us, holding the Empress in a headlock, like some kind of sick, twisted parody of the Lion King.

"LET HER GO!" I yelled, my heart skipping several beats when my eyes fell on the Water Sword she was holding against the woman's neck. Don't ask me how I knew that thing was the Water Sword, I just _did_. How had she gotten to Kaileena and the mystical blade that fast? Had I been unconscious that long?!

"You don't know what you're doing!" I shouted when a malicious smirk appeared on her face. "If you kill Stumpy, you'll free the Sands of Time! Let her go, you moron!"

"**You forgot what was in the book, didn't you?"** Isra smiled cruelly. **"The Water Sword defies only the Sands. It does not affect the mortal flesh."**

"Oh… okay then," I shrugged, then blinked when I repeated her words in my head again. "Hey, wait a minute, is that good or bad news?"

"I believe it may be bad," Crow said when Kaileena suddenly flashed us a smirk similar to Isra's. Uh oh… _definitely_ bad.

"I am in control of this body again," she stated and I nearly fainted when my dark side let her go just like that. Isra and Kaileena had teamed up?! What the hell was going on?!

"My human half has been quite stubborn lately," Dark Stumpy continued. "I believed she had given up on struggling a few thousand years ago, but apparently the woman still has some fight left. No matter, I shall have my new dark half soon. Isra, if you would be so kind as to rid me of this human shell?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Stop!!! Rewind!!!" I exclaimed, my head reeling. "What the flying monkeycrap is going on here?! I'm not following!"

"**You'll see soon enough,"** Isra smirked evilly… a split second before plunging the Water Sword in Kaileena's heart. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN!!!!!

"Going to wake up now, going to wake up now…" I mumbled, staring wide-eyed at the ominous dark cloud that escaped from the wound in Kaileena's chest. I was forced to look away when Isra lost her solid form as well and the two energies combined, exploding in a blinding flash of light that was too intense to bare.

"Gods be with us…" Prince whispered when the artificial heavens of the Garden Tower turned pitch-black and the wind began to howl as lightning flashed through the sky. It was as if the world itself was coming to an end, and there was nothing we could do to stop it.

"Empress… NO!!!" Crow flew towards the cliff, defying the dark bolts of energy that flashed all around him, leaving burns wherever they made contact with his robes. It took me a few moments to realize that he wasn't heading for the inky black ball of darkness that was crackling with demonic magic in its rawest form, and slowly taking on a single, feminine shape. Instead, he raced for a human-like figure that was falling from the cliff, barely catching her before she crashed into the ground.

"Empress…" he kept whispering as he returned to us, carrying a tall, but very frail woman in his arms. "Empress… I am so sorry… how could I forget? How could I forget? I vowed to… How could I forget?! I nearly killed…"

"I hold no ill will, Crow Master," she whispered hoarsely. "The loss of your memories could not have been prevented. Let us just thank the gods she survived your onslaught and the worst did not come to pass."

I had no idea what they were talking about, but Crow kept shaking his head and begging for forgiveness. Normally this would have scared the absolute crap out of me, but something told me this wasn't the same Stumpy that had tried to cut my head off. She barely looked like her anymore: this woman… was the same from my visions.

Long blond hair, blue eyes and matching robes. She looked weak and frail, her skeleton showing through her pale skin. She wore a necklace with almost unearthly looking gems; the same necklace I had seen her buy on the market. Her glazed, but gentle eyes met mine and suddenly… suddenly everything made sense. Memories of when I was too young to even talk, suddenly came to the surface of my mind. My dad broken down in tears on the kitchen floor, clutching me against his chest. A photo of a young woman in the newspaper, the line 'Have you seen her?' imprinted on my two year old retinas, though the letters made no sense to my young mind. Policemen and women fruitlessly scouting the marketplace for even the slightest trace.

I felt a tear slide down my face as the fragile woman smiled weakly and reached out, her hand grasping my own. I wanted to say so many things, ask so many questions, but all I could do was utter one single word:

"Mom…?"

* * *

**A/N:** Bet you didn't see that one coming, did ya? 


	36. Endgame

**A/N:** This is it, the second last chapter! After this, only one more installment and 'Gamer Within', part one will be complete! About time! XD

* * *

**Chapter 36: Endgame**

I was frozen on the spot, staring at the woman who I had just learned was my mother. I had been raised by my father, seeing as mom had mysteriously disappeared when I was two. Though her body had never been found, I never really believed she could still be alive. And I certainly had never believed she had been sucked into a videogame!

"She's your _mother_?!" Prince gawked at me with wide eyes.

"Kaileena… I mean, if you are still _called_ Kaileena… oh man, this is confusing," I rubbed my temples. Seriously, what was I going to do now?

"I do not remember my old name anymore," she said, motioning Crow to put her on her feet. "You may call me Kaileena, as all Empresses before me were named."

Prince suddenly grabbed us and activated his medallion, unleashing 'Eye of the Storm'. Time literally crawled down to a near halt, freezing everyone except us.

"Prince, Isra is surrounded by a bubble of sheer demonic magic. We cannot penetrate her defenses until the transformation is complete. You are wasting your sands," Kaileena shook her head and raised her hands in an attempt to undo the spell. The royal, however, quickly grabbed her wrists, shooting her a glare.

"The spell will not allow _me_ to attack, but it will allow _you_ to do some explaining before the battle begins. Though these sands could be put to better use during combat, I believe none of us will be able to concentrate with the torrent of questions whirling around in our minds. Speak to us now, Kaileena, for another chance might not present itself."

"I understand," she nodded, and her eyes began to glow, visions dancing before our own.

"Thousands of years ago, or a mere fourteen, depending on your perspective, I was walking around the marketplace when I discovered an odd, yet strangely appealing necklace. It was enchanting… radiating with magic and beckoning me, as if I was meant to wear it. The necklace turned out to be a magical object indeed, shaped from the sands themselves. The previous Empress had met her fate, and time itself had gone to seek out a new mistress. Out of all universes, all mortal creatures, I was chosen to ascend the throne and claim the title of 'Kaileena', or as most mortals have come to know me: the Empress of Time.

"The sands had traveled to my world, taking on a shape they sensed would appeal to me. Hence why they took the form of a battle worthy Dagger for the warrior Prince, a beautiful medallion for the feminine Farah, a comfortable staff for the aging Vizier, and a memory card for my videogame loving daughter. All persons, whether their intentions good or evil, were destined to wield the power of the sands, if even for just a single moment in Time."

Her eyes suddenly darkened, a grim expression on her face.

"But something went wrong… _terribly_ wrong. All previous Empresses had been broken women; hungry, homeless, alone and with absolutely nothing to lose. Their hearts leaped with joy when they were whisked away to this world, all of them jumping at the chance to leave behind their pain and start their lives anew. But I was no such hopeless woman; I had a nice job, a loving husband and a young daughter who's life I was prepared to defend with my own. I was far from ready to bid my old life farewell and ascend the throne, never to look back. But as it had been written in the Timeline, so it happened and I found myself stranded on the Island of time, trapped in a cold fortress devoid of life.

"I was saddened by the loss of my mortal self and the life she had left behind, but knew I could not abandon my divine purpose. I enjoyed the company of the friendly, almost tame crows that seemed to nest near the shores, but knew I would go mad if I did not have someone to share my thoughts with. Thus, I infused the highly intelligent birds with the Sands of Time, crafting a close friend, a skilled warrior, but above all a trustworthy guardian, whom I would one day send back to my home world to live in the shadows and watch over my child where I could not."

She looked at me and a small smile graced her lips.

"It seems the Crow Master has still managed to fulfill his purpose, though perhaps in a slightly different manner than I had originally intended."

My face turned beet red, my head feeling like it was going to explode. How did she know? Had she read my mind? I looked at her, my face turning even redder. Oh yeah, _definitely_ reading my mind. Eh…eh… one plus one is two, two plus two is four, four plus four is naked Johnny Depp in a bathtub with whipped cream and… ARGH!!!

"Do not worry about your thoughts, they are perfectly normal for a girl your age," she smiled while I just wanted to die from embarrassment.

"What thoughts?" Prince asked naively, but one icy glare from me was enough to quickly make him drop the subject.

"I also desired female companionship though, thus I brought Shahdee into existence, followed by a small army of various sand creatures to tend to the Fortress… and defend it if necessary," Kaileena continued.

"Truth be told, I was growing afraid. Not just of possible invaders, but of my own creations. I was wielding more power than I had dared to even dream of, and began to feel a sensation of dread towards the creatures I had spawned as a result. To protect myself from their possible betrayal, I began to create new generations of soldiers, but then ended up fearing _them_ as well.

"I was not ready to carry the heavy burden bestowed on me, plagued by the ever present pain of loss that gnawed at my soul. I missed my home, I missed my family and I wanted nothing more than to return and be free of this divine, yet daunting fate. My grief turned into a darkness that rooted in my heart, effecting both me and my creations. We all became colder, apathetic and utterly without mercy to poor souls that sometimes washed up on our shores. Memories of a happier, peaceful era were slowly being pushed to the back of our minds, replaced by feelings of hatred and a lust for destruction and death.

"It happened so gradually that I did not realize what was going on until it was already far too late: the darkness had taken over and my body was no longer my own. For thousands of years, I was forced to look through the eyes of my corrupted self, watching helplessly as my precious creations lost the last of their memories, and ended up as nothing but pawns of a wicked mind.

"Sometimes… sometimes I managed to break through, but the darkness was far too powerful, having grown beyond my control. In the end, all I could do was shine some of my light on our shared darkened soul, allowing Prince to access the Towers, rather than killing him on the spot, and betraying Alex' position to the Crow Master, rather than finishing her off myself. But I could never fully return to the surface. There were times when I got close, but it wasn't enough. It was _never_ enough…"

"Time is running out," Prince announced, casting a nervous glance at his medallion. Seeing as how my mother's tale had taken a tad longer than eight seconds to tell, he was now down to his last sandtank. If that one ran out…

"Alex!" he called. "Kaileena has been severely weakened by that parasite. Take her to a fountain and stay out of sight. The demon and I will dispose of that monstrosity. Once the merger is completed, you and Isra should no longer be connected, nor are the Empress and whatever darkness spawned from her, and it should be safe to destroy that thing."

"Uh, no offence sand boy," I started carefully, "But remember our _last_ fight with Kaileena? We were getting our asses kicked big-time, even though we outnumbered her three to one! Now her dark side has combined with Isra in some kind of super powered demon thingy, and you two are just going to waltz over there without me!?"

"You are no longer a creature of the sands, nor do you have years of training and combat experience like the Prince," Crow shook his head. "You are extremely vulnerable, as is the Empress in her weakened state. Leave these grounds, the Prince and I shall fight this battle."

"Well, if you say so," I hesitantly agreed, even though it felt very wrong. Mom had said so herself: she had tried to hold her darker self back from going all out. Now that restraint was no longer there, and mixed with Isra's power… ooooh boy.

I felt lightheaded and the world blurred around me, indicating that Eye of the Storm had worn off. I could hear dark energy crackling, and a high-pitched laugh that sounded unlike anything I had ever heard. Looking up, I now only saw one single being standing on the cliff. It was completely black with glowing eyes, and had somewhat of a feminine shape, though it did not seem solid. It was as if the newly spawned demon consisted out of pure energy, no longer bound by flesh and bones. In other words: yikes!

"Come on mom," I urged, grabbing her hand. "Let's hide behind those rocks and sit this one out. I think I saw a fountain back there, though I'm not sure if water will have any effect on you."

"Alex…"

I stopped and turned around, arching an eyebrow at Crow. Had he changed his mind about not wanting my help?

"What's the matter?"

"Well, you see…" he started and I was surprised to see him… _nervous_. He was looking away and acting…well… kinda like me, actually.

"I am not entirely sure how you humans go about this… but.. well… ah…"

I wasn't sure whether I should worry, or just laugh very, very hard at the sight of seeing Crow squirming like this. Would he spit it out already?

"What is it?" I asked him, curious what he was getting so worked up about.

"My memories have returned, including some concerning human society as explained to me by the Empress," he continued hesitantly as if expecting me to bite his head off. "I have pondered on a rather important facet of your culture, which has begun to appeal to me and…"

"Out with it, Crow," I demanded, slightly annoyed. And he once dared to accuse _me_ of stalling?! Sjeesh!!!

"Once this battle has been fought, would you perhaps consider a human ritual called…"

The avian demon never got to finish his sentence. A huge ball of dark energy hit him square in the back, a high pitched cackle echoing through the Garden Tower.

"RUN!" Prince shouted at me, and I nodded, grabbing my mother and dragging her behind the rocks. Whatever Crow was up to, it would have to wait for now.

"Drink from the fountain, it'll help," I said to Kaileena, emptying a vase and filling it with water. She gratefully took a few sips, color returning to her face. She still looked like skin and bones, but life once again sparked in her blue eyes. With renewed strength, she stood tall and looked down at me.

"You've grown so much since I last saw you," she smiled and I sweatdropped at her.

"Yeah, that kinda tends to happen if you disappear for fourteen years," I muttered, crossing my arms.

"I'm sorry for leaving you and your father behind, but it could not be helped. Time has chosen me as its ruler and if I were to leave before my time is up, the consequences shall be dire."

"Well, the Timeline has _already_ been screwed up," I argued. "Why else is the Dahaka trying to eat us?!"

"The Dahaka… is a guardian."

"He's a friggin'_ psycho_!"

"You do not understand. The Dahaka is meant to protect the Timeline, but not in the way you think. Prince was fated to die not because he opened the Hourglass, but because he unleashed the Sands of Time."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Far from it. The Hourglass is nothing but an object, meant to shield the world from the evil it holds inside. The evil that used to be my old form. The evil that spread and corrupted my creations, including the Crow Master. The evil that infused your body upon arrival and eventually took the shape of the demon we know as Isra. If Prince were to die, the Sands would never have been set free. But the flow of Time knows many different paths, including one where he found the Mask of the Wraith and started a chain of events that lead to the separation of my dark half. Without her poisoning my mind and filling it with desire for blood, there is no more need for any of you to kill me in self-defense, thus the Hourglass shall remain empty and no one will have been corrupted by the evil of the Sands. The Dahaka shall no longer pursue us, as long as I do not get killed before the Maharaja arrives on the Island in search of treasure."

"So… wait a minute… the Sands of Time _themselves_ are evil?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that. You see… the Sands are like an empty canvas, and emotions are the paint that create an image, applied by the host that is the Kaileena, or the Empress of Time. When the Kaileena lives a rich life filled with joy and love for the wonders of creation, a beautiful painting is created. And when she dies in peace once her reign has come to an end, the Sands shall become peaceful in nature themselves, doing no harm in their quest for a new host. But when the Kaileena is plagued by grief and dread, or suffers an untimely demise, spending her last moments in chaos, the Sands shall become chaos as well. The painting is now one of horror, it's colors dark and tainted. And when such havoc is unleashed upon the Earth, the Dahaka is woken from its slumber, it's duty to rid the world of this evil, dispose of those who have unleashed it, and return order to the Time Line."

"It was the Dahaka who created the hourglass…" I whispered, all pieces of the puzzle falling into place.

"Yes, he did," she nodded sadly. "A place where the Sands can rage without causing destruction and death, only to be unleashed once all traces of the old Kaileena have faded away, and they become neutral once more."

"But that means… if Isra kills you now, in a no doubt gruesome way, the Sands will fill the Hourglass and we'll be screwed all over again!" I panicked, my life flashing before my eyes.

"That will not happen," she shook her head.

"Does that mean Crow and Prince will win?"

I looked at her, eager to hear "of course they will, honey", or something along those lines. Instead she gazed at the sky, her expression blank.

"Of all possible outcomes… this one will hold the most promise."

"That means 'yes', right?"

She didn't answer my question, but just looked away. Oh, hell…

I ignored my gut feeling and kept telling myself that after everything we had been through, one crazy demon bitch wasn't going ruin everything. This was just another boss battle and in a few moments, Prince and Crow would return victorious and without a scratch. The occasional cries of "look out! Behind you!" followed by "Ow, my spleen!" or "Where is my weapon?!", I desperately tried to ignore.

"What has happened between you and the Crow Master is quite remarkable," my mother suddenly smiled after staring at me for a moment.

"MOM?!" I exclaimed, falling over animestyle. "Those thoughts are private! Jeez, I've only known you for like half an hour, and you're _already_ butting into my love life!"

She giggled at my insulted expression, my head no doubt red like a beet. Then her smile suddenly vanished.

"One day, you and him will meet again. It will take some time, but one day, you two shall be reunited. I can promise you that much."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "You're talking like he's about to…"

My eyes widened in horror when I saw sadness and pity in her eyes.

"NO!!!" I screamed, grabbing by sword and blindly rushing onto the battlefield. Please… not that! Anything but that!

I stopped and looked around feverishly. I spotted Prince sprawled out on the ground, his right arm twisted in a way it really wasn't supposed to. Further ahead, Crow was fighting the shapeless demon. Isra… or whatever she/it was called now, no longer spoke. The creature didn't even seem sentient anymore, nothing but a blur of dark energy that acted purely on instinct. It's aura alone made me sick to my stomach.

With a loud screech, Crow was knocked back, landing next to me in a crumpled heap. He was leaking sand again and his eyes kept rolling back in his head.

"Crow, are you-"

"Girl, I told you to leave," he uttered weakly. "The demon… it's too powerful. Run away… take the Empress with you. I have failed…"

I squatted down next to him, supporting his head with my arm. The Persian royal had managed to get back on his feet, but with only three functioning limbs, he wouldn't be able to hold the demon off for long.

"I'm not leaving without you," I said determined.

"Then… you are a fool," he protested.

"I thought you'd be used to that by now," I joked, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice.

"Flee," he ordered, his words nothing but a whisper.

"Make me," I retorted stubbornly: this was one battle he would not win.

"ALEX! LOOK OUT!!!" Prince suddenly cried and I looked up just in time to see a huge dark orb of energy flying my way. I closed my eyes shut and raised my free arm in an attempt to brace myself, but the blast never came. Instead, I heard heavy footsteps and a growl that I knew all too well. Cracking one eye open, I saw the environment loosing color and a giant black hand stretched out in front of me, swatting away the attack.

"You're… you're on _our_ side now?!" I asked, my eyes bulging out of my head when the Dahaka looked at us and nodded. It spoke to me in it's garbled backward tongue, and I turned to Crow for a translation.

"The beast… the beast does no longer detect the presence of chaos in our bodies, or feelings of hostility towards the Empress that will one day cause us to release the Sands. It no longer desires our demise; it is after the demon now. We… have changed our fate."

"And so have we!"

You know those times when you solely believe things can't get anymore weird, yet friggin' kick-ass AWESOME, and they _still_ do? You got to love it when that happens.

I turned around, and was met by an army of sand creatures. Hundreds… thousands… no, tens of thousands of sand creatures appeared on the scene. Jumping down from higher platforms, climbing ladders, dropping from ledges on the walls. They were everywhere, and they were _pissed off_.

I couldn't do anything but gawk like an idiot, when a Silhouette collected water in a vase and gave it to the wounded Prince, who was equally baffled at the unusual gesture. Someone tapped on my shoulder, a Blade Dancer who offered me a pot filled with water as well. She looked strangely familiar…

"I guess the rumors were true," she grinned like a fox, looking sideways at the royal. "He _is_ cute!" (A/N: see chapter 8)

"What… how… I mean… _huh?!_"

"He," she nodded grimly at Crow, "is not the only one who's memories have been restored."

"What are you saying?" I asked, my poor brain still trying to comprehend what was happening. The Blade Dancer took out another vase, emptying it above Crow. Sand spilled over his body, and his health was quickly restored. As she helped him up, she looked darkly at both of us.

"We _remember_."

The Dahaka growled and headed for the menacing dark demon, that did not seem injured at all. The sand creatures took this as a sign that the battle had recommence and, roaring loudly, charged as well. One Executioner in the front line raised his blade in the air and shouted:

"FOR THE EMPRESS!!!"


	37. A new beginning

**A/N:** This is it, the final chapter! I can't really believe it myself XD. I hope it does the story justice and provides a satisfying ending. In the mean time, I'm nearly done fine tuning the first chapter of the sequel… which I had started on before even writing this one, hehehe. It's funny how inspiration works sometimes ;)

Enjoy, and hope to see you all at the sequel!

* * *

**Chapter 37: A new beginning**

I watched in awe as the seemingly never ending army of sand creatures roared in fury and raised their weapons, rushing at the menacing creature. What ever 'it' was, there was not a trace of Isra or Dark Kaileena to be seen. Only darkness, surrounded by an aura of evil that made my blood run cold.

Two halves had combined and formed a single whole… but something had gone terribly wrong. In their lust for power, the two dark spirits had forgotten that evil cannot exist without good. The yin-yang symbol illustrated this perfectly: in the white half there was still a small black dot, as there was a white dot in the black half. Even if the light side dominated a being, it still needed a dark side to be whole.

A person was never truly good or truly evil: there was always a trace of light or dark present, no matter how small. In fact, even though Isra was my darkness and had removed herself from my being, my personality had barely changed. I didn't suddenly feel like adopting stray kittens, building an orphanage in some random third world country and then kill myself so I could save four others with my lungs and kidneys. I was good, but not purely, and my soul was still in balance.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the demon. When Isra and Dark Kaileena had merged, they had not just combined their dark energy, but shed the small, weak trace of light that had still been present in their black hearts. The result was absolutely pure… and highly unstable. This being was a violation of every natural and spiritual law in this world and the next, and it was no wonder the Dahaka went completely haywire at the disturbing sight. If this corruption… this _glitch_… wasn't removed from the Timeline soon, there was no telling what would happen!

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but we need to help the Dahaka!" I declared, drawing my rusty weapon.

"The Dahaka is a powerful demon," Prince disagreed. "Only running can safe you from that beast, and it does not seem like the creature realizes this. It will be over soon."

"Don't count on it, sand boy," I gulped when I saw it holding the Water Sword, lashing out at the Guardian of the Timeline. The Dahaka howled in pain, bleeding gashes appearing all over his dark form.

"Curses! It still wields the blade!" Crow exclaimed, everyone looking on in horror as the black demon was being brutally slaughtered, his tentacles cut off faster than he could grow them back. Another furious slash, and one if his horns fell to the ground, it's owner shrieking in agony and grasping at the bloody stump on his head.

From that point, everything just went downhill. A group of Raiders leaped from a nearby terrace, but were swatted away like mere flies. One agile Blade Dancer got close enough to jump it's neck, but was thrown off within the blink of an eye. The Silhouettes banded together and unleashed a flurry of knifes which went right through the creature, not even leaving a single scratch. The Keepers and Executioners did not fare any better, over half of them suddenly being blown away by a single explosive energy blast: they had never even seen it coming.

"Oh man, we're getting creamed here!" I panicked, ducking when the creature fired another attack, only missing by head by a hair. "We need to do something! And fast!!!"

"What can we do?!" Prince yelled above the racket. "The demon is impervious to everything we throw at it! Swords, axes, hand-to-hand combat! It just goes right through it!"

Crow turned around, desperation in his eyes.

"Empress!" he called. "We beg of you! Assist us! Craft more of our brothers and sisters! This creature must be stopped!"

Kaileena nodded grimly, raising her hands in the air. A cloud of sand whirled around her, but before she could create reinforcements, a dark sphere of energy was send hurtling her way, knocking the woman off her feet.

"MOM!!!" I yelled, running to her motionless body. She was still breathing, but unconscious and in no position to fight. To make matters even worse: the blast had also destroyed the safe fountain, the last drops of healing water seeping away through the cracks in the stone floor.

"You there!" I shouted at two Silhouettes. "Protect the Empress! Use your speed to keep her out of that demon's grasp!"

I then turned to the surviving sand creatures. They looked weary, hopeless and most of them were leaking sand. The Dahaka was still furiously fighting the demon, but judging from the howls of pain it let out, he would not last much longer.

"Alright, listen up!" I ordered with a shaky voice, my knees turning into jelly. I couldn't even train my pet hamster, let alone command an army! But I knew I had to give it a shot. I had an idea, and crazy as it was, it was the only one I got.

"Blades cannot hurt that thing, and it is too powerful to engage in hand-to-hand combat. The Dahaka is the only one of us who even remotely stands a chance against the creature, so we must protect him at all cost. Our objective should be to retrieve the Water Sword: without it, the demon will have no way to defend itself against the Guardian."

"And how do you suggest we get close enough?" one of the Raiders scoffed. "The creature is much too fast!"

"It is also part of me and likely has the attention span of a garden hose. Hand over your weapons and all other items that can be thrown, to the Silhouettes. Let them attempt to knock the Sword out of the demon's hands while we distract it, so the Dahaka can move in for the kill and…"

"I am afraid your plan has just been compromised," Crow interrupted, pointing at something behind me. I wanted to ask him why, but my breath hitched in my throat when I turned around and was met with an agonized howl. The creature raised the Water Sword and with a victorious cackle, plunged it right into the Guardian's heart. We all looked on in horror as the Dahaka shrieked in pain and fell to the ground, dissolving in a cloud of black smoke. He had done so many times before, only this time… we knew he wouldn't be coming back.

"No…" Prince stammered, falling to his knees. "That beast… that beast was our last hope… "

"INCOMING!!!" a female Executioner suddenly exclaimed, diving for cover. We heard a roar, coming from a Golem that had managed to get close enough to grab the demon with its giant hand. Unfortunately, the dark creature was not impressed and curled itself up in a ball of energy, suddenly exploding with an ear deafening blast. The Golem was send flying backwards by the devastating shockwave… and heading right for me.

Time began to move in slow-motion: I looked up, my eyes widening as the shadow of the humongous beast loomed over my stunned form. My brain screamed at me to get out of the way, but I was nailed to the ground, my muscles refusing to move. I heard Prince shouting… felt someone push me aside… and screamed when I realized what had happened.

"NO!!! CROW!!!" I cried, rushing to the fallen Golem. After wildly punching, kicking and scratching at its sides, the mindless giant slowly got up again to fight the dark creature that had blown it away, not even looking back.

"Where is he…?" I choked, getting on my knees and tearing at the grass. "WHERE IS HE?!"

"He's been crushed…" Prince uttered, still in a state of shock because it had happened so fast. "There's… nothing left of him…"

"The medallion!" I yelled, feverously grabbing the Royal by his collar. "What are you waiting for?! USE IT!!!"

"It's empty!" he panicked. "The sands are all gone!"

I never heard that last sentence. At 'empty', the world around me stopped. He was dead… dead because he saved me. Images flashed through my mind; of our first encounter, our first battle, our first kiss… and our _only_ one. I had never worked up the courage to tell him I loved him, always putting it off until 'the time was right'. Only now did I realize that there was no such thing as a perfect moment. And I also knew I had been a fool to doubt his love for me. 'A human ritual'… 'an important facet of my culture that appealed him'… how _dumb_ had I been to not realize what he had been trying to ask me?! If only I had said 'yes', then at least he would have known how I felt before he died. But now Crow was gone, and I would never get to tell the avian demon that I was prepared to stay here for the rest of my life, if that meant sharing it with him.

"My mother! Maybe she-"

"Alex-"

"The library! There must be a book on magic that can help us-"

"Alex, he's gone, you need to-"

"The Mask!" I rambled on, if only to stop myself from having to face reality. "We'll use the Mask of the Wraith again! If I can just stop-"

"Alex!" Prince grabbed my shoulders, shaking me back to my senses. "He's gone, do you understand? He's _gone_. I'm sorry…"

His words repeated over and over again in my head. Gone…gone, gone, gone… My heart felt like it had been ripped in two, hot tears burning behind my eyes. I saw something lying at my feet and when I picked it up, all blood drained from my face:

A single, tattered, purple feather.

Something inside me finally snapped. My vision turned red and I let out a primitive howl, clenching my fists so tightly that my palms began to bleed. I felt a warm glow in my right pocket and instinctively knew what I had to do.

"The Dagger of Time!" Prince breathed, looking at me with wide eyes. "Alex, how did you-"

He never got a chance to finish his sentence. I roughly shoved the shocked royal aside and blindly charged at the dark demon.

"You are going to pay for what you did, you hear me?!" I screamed furiously. "YOU WILL PAY!!!"

The creature had already regenerated and just looked at me indifferently, only further fuelling my anger. I wildly slashed at it with the Dagger, not really caring if I hit it or not. It shrieked in surprise and pain when the blade struck it's abdomen.

"This one is for Crow!" I yelled, stabbing it again. "This one is for my mother! This one is for the Prince! This one is for the Dahaka! This one is for all the sand creatures you killed! And this one," I hissed, my eyes blazing with hatred, "Is for ME!!!"

I raised the Dagger and screamed, preparing to plunge it into its chest. But at the last second, it grabbed my neck and flung me away like a rag doll, sending me crashing into the ground. No longer in the possession of a sand creature body, I did not come out unscathed. I had a deep cut in my right leg, a piece of debris still sticking out. My left arm was broken in several places, as well as my ribs and collarbone. My head was reeling and when I reached for it with my good arm, my hand returned covered in blood. I could feel myself getting dizzy from blood loss and knew I wouldn't be able to cling to life much longer. With every last bit of strength I could muster, I tapped the tiny silver button on the handle of the magical Dagger, rewinding time to a point where I was still on the winning side of this hellish battle. I briefly wondered why I hadn't thought of rewinding time when Crow had died, but then realized that the Dagger had still been empty at that point. In fact, I had just used its only filled sandtank to save my own life. I smiled when I realized where that sand had come from.

"Thank you, my love," I whispered gratefully at the heavens, before letting out a primordial roar and bringing down the Dagger of Time, striking my target… and finally putting an end to this nightmare once and for all.

As the blade pierced the creature's black heart, Time began to slow… came to a stop… and a void of pitch-black darkness welcomed me in its comforting embrace.

_"You will see him again, I can promise you that much,"_ I heard my mother's voice echoing in my mind before I lost consciousness and closed my tired eyes, silently bidding goodbye to her… the Prince of Persia… and the love that couldn't be.

Epilogue, four years later:

"That's your fifth one, you know."

I looked up, shooting the meddling waiter an icy glare.

"Save it Carl," I snapped angrily. "Caffeine is the only thing that keeps me from turning to worse alternatives. Now make me a double… no _triple_ latte and keep 'em coming! Don't make me come back there myself!"

"Yes, Alex," he gulped, quickly scurrying away.

I sighed deeply, sipping at my cup. I preferred to order follow-ups in advance, so I would always have something to drink. It distracted me, kept me busy and the caffeine made my mind race, stopping it from focusing on one subject for longer than five minutes. But no matter how much I over stimulated myself, my thoughts would always return to the events that happened four years ago. When I, still a naive 16-year old girl, got sucked into what I thought was just a videogame. I had never come so close to dying… but at the same time… I never had felt more alive.

The minute I killed that demon, my destiny had been fulfilled. The Empress of Time had been freed of her darkness and the power of the Dagger had send me home, not even allowing me a moment to say goodbye. But even if it had… there would still have been one person who had already left. One person I could never have said my goodbyes to in a proper way.

I groaned, resting my face in my hands so no one would see the tears welling up in my eyes.

I had never told dad about what happened to his wife, he wouldn't have believed me anyway. Mom couldn't abandon her duties as the Empress of Time and I felt like it was better for my father to keep believing she was gone, as he had already done for 14 years. He needed to move one… and so did I.

I stared blankly at my empty cup, as if expecting the cure for my broken heart to somehow magically appear, covered under leftover traces of cream. Mom had said that Crow and I would see each other again, and for months, I had kept hope. I woke up early and stayed up late, my eyes glued to the television in case the news would report an avian demon roaming through the streets, looking for a now twenty-year old woman named Alex. When I could no longer stand staring at the lifeless screen, I went to the park and fed the wild crows that flocked there, hoping one day they would suddenly transform in the sand creature that had tried to ask me to marry him… a question he had never gotten the chance to finish. But as the days became weeks and the weeks became months, doubt started creeping into my mind. Now four years later, I believed that my mother had not been talking about a miraculous resurrection. Crow wouldn't somehow come back from the dead, but rather wait for me on the other side, so one day we would meet again.

"Dammit Carl!" I suddenly yelled, slamming my fist on the table. I had found solitude and refuge in this quiet little coffeehouse, but the service was horrible!

"Take it easy lady! I can't work magic here, ya know!" he snapped from behind the counter and I sighed. If only he could…

"Here's your latte," he huffed, ignoring my weary nod. "Don't bother asking me to put it on your tab."

"Hey, come on! I always pay the bill on time!" I protested. "Why can't I-"

"You don't have to _pay_ for it," he rolled his eyes at me as if I was a toddler. "It's from that gentleman over there. In fact, he says _all_ your drinks are on him today."

I muttered a couple of obscenities and turned around to scowl at whoever had dared to hit on me. I only loved one man, and I always would. Then again… free caffeine was always nice. Might as well milk it while I could…

"What do you want, stranger?" I coldly asked the man without looking at him, focusing on the steaming beverage in front of me.

"I am searching for someone," he said, sitting down at my table. "Someone very dear to me, whom I have lost contact with many years ago."

"You and me both, buddy," I muttered absentmindedly while taking a sip, peering over the edge of my cup.

The guy was about my age, his voice warm and pleasing. He had a fairly average build and wore a simple outfit, consisting of a pair of dark jeans, a white shirt and a black leather jacket which he hadn't bothered to close up. What made him stand out from the crowd though, was the flaming purple hair that loosely framed his face, reaching just halfway past his ears. I tried to get a look at his eyes, but he wore sunglasses which made it impossible to see their color. I couldn't really put my finger on it, but something about this guy intrigued me, tickling my curiosity to no end.

My 'foolish' curiosity, as Crow would have put it…

I sighed again, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm sorry… but this… this isn't going to work out, okay?" I apologized, slowly getting up. "It's not you, it's me… I just need to be alone for a while."

"Alex, wait!" he called, grabbing my wrist before I could head out the door.

I froze on the spot, my heart beating three times as fast as it should have.

"How do you know my name…?" I asked, trying to keep myself from stammering.

"How could I forget?" he grinned. "After all… you gave me mine."

My breath hitched in my throat, my trembling hand reaching to remove the colored glasses and reveal a pair of yellow eyes staring back at me. They were no longer glowing and had black pupils, looking perfectly normal except for their odd hue.

"How…?" I whispered hoarsely, my mind telling me over and over again that this couldn't possibly be real. He looked human, acted human and even _sounded_ human, but could there really be someone else behind those yellow eyes? I didn't dare to believe. I didn't dare to hope…

"The Empress sends her regards and wishes both of us well," he smiled, and for the next hour and a half, all I could do was hug him and cry on his shoulder, not caring what the other people in the cafe thought of me.

Crow paid for the bill and we went outside, strolling through the park I had visited so many times.

"Your soul reincarnated?" I asked him with wide eyes after he finished explaining, still trying to wrap my head around all of it.

"With help from the Empress," he nodded, sitting down next to a small stream and motioning me to join him.

"As a token of gratitude to both of us, she allowed my spirit to return and be given a second chance at life. I was presented with a choice: to regain my old body and travel with her and the Prince to Babylon, or be reborn as one of your kind and start life anew. The latter seemed an unusual… but far more desirable alternative."

"Trust me on this one, Crow," I smirked, playfully splashing him with the now harmless water. "Once you've taken a trip down a super waterslide, you'll never want to go back again."

"I shall try that," he smiled, laying down on his stomach and looking at his reflection in the stream, a human face staring back at us.

I lay down next to him on my side and watched the sun's rays reflect of his purple hair, sweatdropping at the sight. Oh well, we could always tell people he was a punker…

"One thing I still don't understand," I arched an eyebrow at the young man. "We met four years ago, but you already look my age. Shouldn't you still be a toddler? Not that I'm complaining, but…"

He smiled and put his index finger on my lips, cutting off my rambling. He then turned to the stream again, running his hand through the water.

"Most people think time is like a river, that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you… they are _wrong_."


End file.
